2800 people from 43 municipalities have benefited from the UAB's social tasks
With the aim of making the activities carried out throughout the academic year visible and at the same time giving visibility to the volunteers participating, the Fundació Autònoma Solidaria celebrated a closing ceremony on Wednesday 29 May at the Rectorat building in which attendants were able to hear the voice and experience of some of the people most affected by these actions of solidarity. Debates were held on the Refugee Welcome programme and on volunteering in general. The ceremony was presented by the founder of the El Crític newspaper and UAB alumni Sergi Picazo.
Participating in the "UAB Refugi” debate were Louai Almadani, who was awarded a study grant from the Refugee Welcome Programme; Marta Arumí, lecturer and collaborator of the Refugee Welcome Programme; Joan Creus, Deputy Mayor of Castellar del Vallés and Khaoula Benomar, volunteer of the programme's Social Accompaniment.
The second debate, entitled "Experiències que transformen”, included the participation of Anna Vila, volunteer of the Justice for Adults programme; Eulàlia Sot, psychologist of the Drug Dependence Office of Catalonia's Public Health Agency; Maria Olivé, FAS grant-holder and member of the social health volunteering programme and Laura Girbau, lecturer and collaborator in the social film project of the CROMA 2.0 programme. A summary of all the activities which took place during the year were projected in an emotive video. The event ended with a speech by Carlos Sánchez, Vice Rector for Institutional Relations and President of the Fundació Autònoma Solidaria.
Transforming Society
A total of 2,816 people benefited from the social tasks of the FAS conducted in 43 different towns through 11 social programmes which included 410 volunteers during this academic year.
The main programmes were social-educational ones such as CROMA 2.0, UniX and LetsGo!, and the Ítaca Campus; Social Accompaniment to help those seeking refuge; justice programmes conducted in the prisons of Brians and Quatre Camins and the children's homes of Alzina, Els Til·lers and Can Llupià; environmental programmes; health programmes; and social health programmes offered at the Vall d'Hebron Hospital, Sant Pau Hospital and the Centre Fòrum at Hospital del Mar.
Students from different UAB degrees and also lecturers and administrative staff have worked together with groups in risk of social exclusion, prison centres and children care centres, as well as in hospitals and healthcare centres, refugees and people with disabilities.
This Year's New Activities
For over 15 years, the FAS has been working on social health volunteer programmes at the Vall d'Hebron Hospital and the Centre Fòrum of the Hospital del Mar, both of which are programmes UAB students are very keen on participating in. As a novelty this year, volunteering activities were also offered at the Sant Pau Hospital.
With the hashtag #UABRefugi, the UAB has conducted multiple activities focused on people seeking refuge. This academic year several refugee students joined the UAB's bachelor's and graduate degrees, and UAB staff has helped them on their way to returning to their studies. A Migrations and Human Rights Week was also organised, in which students and lecturers worked intensely on these subjects. It is now working on collecting funds that will go towards study grants for refugee students.
This year, it also has worked on the promotion of the ApS (Aprenentge Servei) based on its experience with surrounding social entities and institutions.
The FAS is a university social entity whose mission is to offer tools which can contribute to making the university community become part of an active citizenship, critical and participative in social changes. To do so, FAS designs and carries out social action projects at university and awareness-raising to build up critical spirits with the final objective generating a social impact which can lead to social justice and the improvement of the surroundings and the quality of life of people.