The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Hosts the VI UAB Service-Learning Day

On May 26, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine hosted the VI UAB Service-Learning Day, organized by the Service-Learning Office, which is managed by the Fundació Autònoma Solidària. Service-Learning (ApS) is an educational approach where students learn by participating in a project aimed at addressing a real need within a community, thereby improving people’s living conditions or the quality of the environment.

The day began with an inspiring session from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. titled "International Models of University Service-Learning", moderated by Vice-Rector for Studies and Quality Ramón Vilanova. Speakers included Nieves Tapia (Argentina), Julia Raberger (Austria), and Marta Vallvé (Netherlands), who shared perspectives and experiences from their respective countries. Marta Vallvé highlighted the emphasis placed on learning over service in Norway and the lack of access certain communities have to university research. Julia Raberger stressed the importance of setting clear goals and promoting empathy in collaborative projects.

From 10:15 to 11:00 a.m., the awards for the best Service-Learning Bachelor's Theses from the previous academic year were presented by Jordi Prat, Director of the FAS, and Ramón Vilanova. The awardees received their diplomas and shared their answers to the question: “What social and/or environmental impact has your thesis had?”

The full list of award-winning theses is available in this resolution. The winners by field of knowledge were:

-Arts and Humanities: Paula Pallejà Gálvez from the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting, with the thesis “Collaboration with the Catalan Visual Disability Association B1+ B2+ B3 to create didactic materials for learning Catalan for job placement.”

-Biosciences, Sciences, and Technology: Francisco Pablo Salvador from the Faculty of Biosciences with the thesis “Strategy for the Conservation of Sea Turtles on the Coasts of Chocó (Colombia),” conducted with the support of Chocó Bird Observatory.

- Social and Legal Sciences: Aina Jiaqing Romero Solé from the Faculty of Law with the thesis “Does Tinder Encourage Digital Sexual Violence? A Study on Tinder Use at UAB and Analysis of the Presence of Sexual Violence in This Context,” with support from the Fundació Autònoma Solidària.

-Health Sciences: Eva Baixauli Algaba from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine with the thesis “One Health Educational Initiative: Awareness-raising Resources on Rabies and Other Zoonotic Diseases with Gamification Tools for Schools and Volunteers,” in collaboration with the organization Daktari.

The award ceremony concluded with closing remarks from Ramón Vilanova, who stated, “These students haven’t just completed a thesis—they’ve done much more. The transformative impact is far beyond what was expected.”

From 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., a participatory Speed Dating-style activity was held to foster new connections between university faculty and third-sector/public organizations, encouraging creativity, interdisciplinarity, and open-mindedness.

Finally, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., an Entity Fair was held—complete with snacks—where faculty and students had the opportunity to engage with any of the 14 organizations that set up booths to share experiences and perspectives. Participating organizations included: Catalan Association for People with Deafblindness – APSOCECAT; CEN – Association for the Conservation of Natural Ecosystems; LaCoordi – Catalan Coordinator for Fair Trade and Ethical Finance; Catalan Committee UNHCR; Chocó Bird Observatory; Teaching Clinic; Actua SCCL; Llibre de la vida; FETS – Ethical and Solidarity-Based Finance; Oiko Credit Catalunya; MAIN Foundation – Ocell de foc Ecojove; Eicascantic; Biotropical Institute; and the Community of Sant’Egidio.