The fifth edition of the Annual Uniservitate meeting was held in Università LUMSA, Rome, Italy. 

Focusing on the institutionalization of solidarity service learning (SSL). With the support of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the coordination of Uniservitate and the host team of LUMSA welcomed more than 200 representatives of Catholic universities from 35 countries engaged in solidarity service-learning practices on the 7th and 8th November. An additional 300 people followed the event via streaming from around the world.

Organized by the Latin American Center for Service-Learning (CLAYSS) and LUMSA University, the event closed with a private audience with Pope Francis. The Holy Father praised the work of Uniservitate and the theme of the Symposium. “We cannot change the world if we do not change education; we need to think together how to bring this change to life and lead it,” he said.

Private audience with Pope Francis at Sala Clementina, Vatican

In addition to the team of Uniservitate, a Porticus programme coordinated by CLAYSS, 33 rectors, the discussions included presidents and authorities from Catholic universities, researchers, professors and students who carry out solidarity service-learning projects, alongside representatives of social organizations involved in these experiences as community partners.

During the plenary and simultaneous sessions, it was possible to see the value of the joint work that Uniservitate has been developing for the last five years. Divided into seven regional hubs and guided by an Academic Sounding Board consisting of service-learning specialists from different countries and institutions, this Programme has alliances with international associations and entities such as the Global Compact on Education, Scholas Ocurrentes and the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU). During the Symposium, the membership of the Organization of Catholic Universities in Latin America and the Caribbean (ODUCAL) and a collaboration agreement with the International Association of La Salle Universities (IALU) were formalized to promote solidarity service-learning in the associated universities.

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Source: Uniservitate