This service for people experiencing homelessness has hosted four Service Learning days, where academic training is combined with community service.Around twenty people served at the Comprehensive Care Center (CAI), a service for people experiencing homelessness, participated at the end of last year in several learning days led and facilitated by a second-year student in the Psychology degree at Blanquerna University.
Specifically, these days follow the Service Learning (Aps) educational model, which combines academic training and community service, which allows students to develop professional skills while responding to real needs of the territory and the people served.
The initiative arose from a proposal by the teachers to the professionals of the CAI, which ended up triggering a collaboration process structured in four phases, which took place between October and November; as well as a closing day that took place in December.
A work process in four stages
The first approach took place on October 6, with the initial visit of the students to the center, during which the professionals presented how the services offered at the center work and what the profile of the people served is.
The second phase took place on October 13, with interviews by the students with members of the professional team —educators, social workers and social integration technicians— to obtain detailed information about the service and necessary for the design and implementation of the activities.
The third phase, on October 23, consisted of interviews conducted by the students with twelve people served by the residential service, with the aim of knowing their interests firsthand and involving them as active participants, not just as recipients of the activities. During this period, the community technician and the teachers maintained constant coordination to guide the entire creative process.
With this, the students prepared a total of four activities, which were developed in an integrated manner on November 27 throughout the day. The first of them, Construím juntes, invited the participants to create a pentagon with personal elements and find points in common with the pieces of other classmates to promote the bond and group cohesion.
The second, Paths and Roots, consisted of sharing origins, trajectories and cultural elements while building a symbolic tree —with roots linked to the place of origin, a trunk with values and strengths and branches with the name— to promote cultural exchange and cohesion. In My Protective Amulet, each participant designed a talisman that symbolizes their strengths and empowerment capabilities. The last, Self-care and relaxation, generated a creative and calm space oriented towards emotional well-being, personal care and relaxation through simple and accessible techniques.
To conclude this process, on December 11, the people participating in this initiative went to Blanquerna University, where a closing day of the experience took place, in which the people treated and professionals shared their experiences of having participated in this project.
These educational days have been doubly enriching, as they generated a significant space for exchange that contributed both to the students' educational development and to the well-being of the twenty people who participated. In this way, the ApS was consolidated as a local experience that strengthens the link between the Blanquerna University and the residential center of Sarrià-Sant Gervasi.
These will not be the only ApS experiences that the students of the Blanquerna University will carry out at the center. In this second semester of the school year, from January to June, similar processes will be carried out with the students of the Primary Education and Sports degrees, which are expected to be as positive as this one.
Violeta Mendez
Community social educator of Sarrià- Sant Gervasi
