Have you ever complained that the university prepared technicians, but not citizens?
In your record book there are only grades for the exams, but there is no recognition for the activities that you carry out outside of the purely academic world?
Are you engaged in volunteer activities in support of refugees and asylum seekers or would you like to launch yourself in this new experience?
From today, the University of Trento recognizes the "SuXr" as extra-curricular educational credits.
The project "University students for Refugees", aims to promote voluntary activities which some students are already engaged in with the scope of welcoming refugees and asylum seekers, formally include those activities in the record book of study and recognize them with two credits.
Students participating in the initiative are offered a program consisting of a short section of formation training with three meetings on how to welcome refugees – two of them with an academic emphasis and one more practical – and then performing at least 100 hours of volunteer work within a 4-5 months period.
The project has already started with the first meeting devoted to theoretical training, during which Silvia Volpato of Atas onlus has presented to the students community organizations active in the local voluntary sector and in the world of the voluntary work.
The next meetings will be on Thursday, June 30 and Monday, July 4 at 17:00 in the classroom 10 of the Department of Sociology and Social research.
At the first meeting, jurists Fulvio Cortese, Lucia Busatta, Elena Mitzman and Marta Tomasi will guide the students through the legal implications of reception of refugees, while at last meeting, a sociologist Giuseppe Sciortino will provide a sociological framework for the issue of refugees.
In conclusion, the nice opportunity that our University creates with respect to the issue today comes as timely as ever, and it moves in the direction of recognizing and supporting the involvement of students in the voluntary initiatives related to the areas of their studies.
In other words, this is a project that balances theory and practice, helping students to learn notional active citizenship.
Photo: John Cavulli for the University of Trento
Text: Marta Pilotto
Translation: Olena Khaliman