The UAB and the Catalan Committee to Help Refugees sign collaboration agreement

The UAB has participated in solidarity actions during the past few months since the outbreak of the refugee crisis. Now the Catalan Committee to Help Refugees and the university have signed an agreement to work together in finding solutions for refugees, particularly in the academic sector.

27/04/2016

The Rector of the UAB Ferran Sancho and President of the Catalan Committee to Help Refugees (CCAR) Miguel Pajares signed a collaboration agreement to work jointly on actions aimed at meetingthe needs of refugees.

The agreement includes collaborations in several aspects. The UAB will offer refugees the possibility to enrol in a university degree with the help of grants and other aids. Through its Fundació Autònoma Solidària (FAS), the university will organise volunteering programmes in which the community can participate in giving support to refugees. The agreement also includes the possibility of housing refugees at the UAB Vila Universitària through CCAR. In addition, the UAB and CCAR are open to including each other in additional collaborations they may have with other entities.

The actions carried out by the UAB will be coordinated by the Vice Rectorate of Students and Cooperation and the FAS. A mixed committee formed by delegates of the UAB and CCAR will be in charge of supervising these actions.

The FAS is currently working on designing and coordinating actions related to the arrival and assistance of refugees with the aim of facilitating their introduction and adaptation to university. It is also working on a support plan aimed, on the one hand, at helping them learn the language and, on the other hand, at aiding them with social aspects. These actions will be carried out through a language volunteer programme, in coordination with the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting, and through a social assistance programme for those living at Vila Universitària.

Moreover, through the UAB Language Services, they will be able to attend intensive Spanish classes, with the possibility of later continuing on with more advanced courses and Catalan courses.

With the aim of guaranteeing their access to UAB facilities and services, another agreement was signed offering the use of the UAB's sports facilities (SAF) and the emission of UAB student cards to enable the use of library services on campus.

In coordination with the Community Activation Group, the UAB will offer information on its activities with the aim of helping them participate in all areas of university life.

In addition to Ferran Sancho and Miguel Pajares, the signing of the agreement was also attended by Núria García, Vice Rector of Students and Cooperation; Jordi Prat, Director of FAS, and Carla Marimon, Head of FAS Communication; and Pascale Coissard, CCAR Head of Incidences, and Óscar Revilla, CCAR Welcoming Committee.

Commitment with Refugees

The UAB has participated in solidarity actions since the outbreak of this crisis a few months ago. Since September it has been working on a series of proposals in which the maximum of university services and resources can put their expertise at the service of refugees, and it has created a follow-up committee to guarantee that these proposals be implemented.

The UAB forms part of the initiative #universitatsrefugi and has signed the declaration "Catalan Universities: on the side of the refugees", through which public universities in Catalonia, under ACUP, express their support and foster the active involvement of their communities in initiatives for the reception of refugees. The public event in which the declaration was presented this past October marked the beginning of a series of actions which are currently being implemented.

In December, the FAS and Cultura en Viu association organised a seminar entitled "Refugiats a Europa. Mirades des del present cap al futur" (Refugees in Europe. Looking from the Present Towards the Future) on Human Rights Day.