Campus Ítaca brings 440 secondary students to the UAB

Students work on problem-solving cases and discuss current issues under the tutorship of university staff.

The 11th edition of Campus Ítaca, a project in which secondary school students spend two weeks at the UAB, will be held from 10 June to 17 July. This year, 440 students from secondary schools located in the surrounding regions of Vallès Occidental, Vallès Oriental, Baix Llobregat, Alt Penedès and Berguedà will come to the UAB.

Students will be spending two weeks at the UAB throughout the three sessions which will be held from 10 June to 17 July. They will be participating in different types of activities under the tutorship of university staff, and will be working on problem-solving cases, discussing issues and living with other teenagers from different social backgrounds.

The purpose of the programme is to encourage students to continue their education once they finish secondary school. That is why the programme is addressed to students who excel in their studies but for family, social or other reasons, are not always interested in the option of continuing with their studies.

For Campus Ítaca students activities will begin each day at 9 am and end at 6 pm. In addition to working in groups, the students will be able to attend workshops and debates and enter a short story competition, become familiar with the campus and take trips to Barcelona to visit the city's museums. Students will also have the chance to practice sports at UAB's Sports Activities Centre (SAF) and choose from a list of cultural activities including: theatre, arts, music, dance, etc. music, dance, etc.

Each two-week session ends with a ceremony will all participants and their families and the chance to show the results of their group work.

Campus Ítaca is organised by the Institute of Educational Sciences and the UAB Faculty of Education and sponsored by Banco Santander. Taking part in the programme are several university members from different services, departments and faculties. Since 2004, the programme has been held every year and now includes over 3,000 students who have participated.

Twenty university grants

UAB recently opened its call for 20 Ítaca-Banco Santander grants for the 2014/15 academic year addressed to students of the centres participating in Campus Ítaca. With the aim of making sure that economic reasons are not a hindrance in the higher education of students, UAB and Banco Santander offer these grants to academically bright students who otherwise may not be able to pay for a university education.

These types of grants are not offered by any other university in Spain. Grants include a monthly payment of 500 Euros during ten months, renewable each year for a total of four years (duration of a bachelor's degree). Enrolment fees, as well as housing in the Vila Universitària when necessary, are also covered by the grant.