Ítaca Campus 2015 comes to an end with a closing session at the Hotel Campus

The closing session for the second and final round of the Ítaca Campus programme, which gives secondary-school students an opportunity to spend two weeks at the UAB, will be held on 16 July in the Sala Arnau of the Hotel Campus. The twelfth edition of Ítaca Campus has involved 324 students from schools in the vicinity of the UAB.

Ítaca Campus is a UAB social-educational programme aimed at secondary school students with the objective of encouraging them to continue with their studies once they finish their compulsory education. The programme converts the UAB into a space for coexistence between students from different social backgrounds. The students are divided into two groups, each of which spends two weeks at the university: the first group from 22 June to 3 July and the second group from 6 July to 16 July. They take part in different types of activities under the tutorship of university staff: working on problem-solving cases and discussing issues that affect them.

For Ítaca Campus students activities begin each day at 9 am and end at 6 pm. In addition to working in groups, students will be able to participate in workshops and debates, and become familiar with the campus. Among the activities programmed for their stay are the simulation of a court trial, a workshop on food production, an archaeology project and a robotics project. Students will also have the chance to take trips to Barcelona to visit the city's museums and choose from a variety of cultural activities including theatre, arts, music, dance, etc. The two-week stays end with a meet-up of all participants and their families, in which the results of their work on campus are shown.

Campus Ítaca is organised by the Institute of Educational Sciences and the UAB Faculty of Education and sponsored by Banco Santander. Several university members from different services, departments and faculties also take part in Campus Ítaca. Since 2004, over 3,000 students have participated in the programme.

Twenty university grants

Meanwhile, for academic year 2015-2016, the UAB and Banco Santander have launched the sixth edition of the Ítaca-Banco Santander grants, aimed at students at schools participating in Ítaca Campus. One of the UAB's objectives is to help students who for economic reasons may not be able to continue their education after secondary school.

The financial aid grant includes a monthly salary of 500 euros paid during ten months every year and for the duration of the student's undergraduate studies. Enrolment fees, as well as housing in the Vila Universitària when necessary, are also covered by the grant. This is the first initiative of its kind to be implemented in a university in Spain.