Campus Ítaca to celebrate its 20th anniversary

During the months of June and July, hundreds of students in their third year of ESO (secondary education) carry out pedagogical and recreational activities on the Bellaterra campus led by members of the university community who accompany them as monitors and organise workshops and talks. The aim of this initiative, organised by the Fundació Autònoma Solidwària and sponsored by Banco Santander, is to encourage young people to continue their education once they have completed their compulsory education.

The profile targeted by the project is that of students with good study skills but who, due to their socioeconomic situation or the lack of close adult references with higher education, are at an educational disadvantage. In addition to encouraging them to continue studying, the Campus Ítaca aims to become a space for coexistence between boys and girls from different social backgrounds and to promote the use of Catalan as a language of communication.

The celebration of this 20th anniversary will take place at 12:30 pm, in the conference hall of the Rectorat building, and will be chaired by UAB Rector Javier Lafuente. It will begin with welcoming speeches by UAB Secretary General Esther Zapater, and representatives of Santander Universities: Matías Rodríguez, president of the entity; Susana García, director of Santander Universities Spain; and José María García, director of Agreements and Patronage.

Following the welcoming speeches, Angelina Sánchez, researcher of the ATLAS group, will present the report carried out on the Campus Ítaca project, and the event will continue with a round table entitled "Opportunities for Educational Success" with the participation of Neus Sanmartí, director of the Institute of Educational Sciences of the UAB between 2002-2008; Anna Marbà, vice-dean of the Faculty of Education and collaborator of the Campus Ítaca; Maria Antònia Parera, professor at the Institut Can Jofresa; and Sergio Corral, former participant of Campus Ítaca and fourth-year student of the Bachelor's Degree in Translation and Interpreting.

The UAB will also celebrate the 13th edition of the Ítaca Salary Grants (UAB-Santander) in another event in the afternoon, in which the certificates of the beneficiaries of the past four editions of these grants will be handed out. These scholarships allow students to continue their undergraduate studies with an income of 500 euros per month, in addition to free tuition fees.