We want to share with our friends from Latin America and the rest of the world our wish of an increasingly united construction of a more just and fraternal world. Whether we celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, the end of Ramadan or the arrival of a new year, we wish that we can find a moment of peace with those we love most, and celebrate together the spirit of solidarity and universal brotherhood that is the essence of these festivities. From CLAYSS we want to extend our gratitude and affection to all the educators and solidarity youth who daily build a better world. In this coming year that we celebrate our 15th anniversary as an institution, we look forward to continue making fruitful our commitment to solidarity service-learning. We wish you happy holidays!
CLAYSS team

CLAYSS in Hong Kong

Organized by the Polytechnic Hong Kong University, the 2nd service-learning conference took place on December 1st and 2nd. It was attended by more than 150 teachers and students from universities in Hong Kong and other regions of China, as well as from Singapore, Cambodia, the Philippines, Nepal, Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam. A small number of American specialists also participated, including Andrew Furco (University of Minnesota) and Andrew Seligsohn (Campus Compact). The Director of CLAYSS, Nieves Tapia, the only representative from Latin America, was invited to present the regional experience of service-learning in a plenary panel. The Seminar enabled a rich exchange between the Latin American and the Asian service-learning experiences and opened the door for future exchanges and for closer links between the respective regional networks.

CLAYSS in Slovakia

For some years now, the interest of organizations and universities in the region has grown in the Latin American model of service learning. In this context, counseling and training for educational institutions have been developed.
November 9th, Dr. Ma. Alejandra Herrero and Mrs. Luz Avruj from CLAYSS gave an open conference on service learning at Matej Bel University in the city of Banska Bystrica in Slovakia. As one of the activities of the Support Program for Solidarity Universities two training sessions were given in the same country. November 10 -11, training was provided at Matej Bel University in the city of Banska Bystrica and November 14 - 15 at the Catholic University of Ruzomberok in the city of Ruzomberok, both in Slovakia.

CLAYSS offered its first Webinar

Friday November 11th, CLAYSS presented the Webinar "Information and Communication Technologies in the Development of Solidarity Service-Learning Projects". Presentations by Prof. Andrew Furco, Mg. María Rosa Tapia, Mg. Marta Libedinsky and Mg. Mikel Gómez Goiri, facilitated the exchange of information on the use of TICs in the learning of the students and in the development of solidarity initiatives. The event was attended by 37 teachers, researchers and members of civil society organizations from more than 15 Latin American countries. You can view the full Webinar (in Spanish) on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csPq30oy-PA

CLAYSS at the First Provincial Solidarity Schools Meeting “Service-Learning is to grow together"

October 7th, more than 500 students and teachers from solidarity schools in Mendoza gathered to commemorate Solidarity Student’s Day by sharing their service-learning experiences. The meeting was led by the students, who not only presented their projects in first person, shared posters and videos made by them, but also were in charge of much of the organization, from the locution and moderation of the times to the Coordination of the workshops. Summoned by the Provincial Schools Department, and coordinated by Lic. Iris Borges, the Provincial Representative for Solidarity Education, the meeting was attended by Patricia Dintrans, representing the Chilean Service- Learning Network (REASE). CLAYSS director, Nieves Tapia, was invited to offer an opening conference, and give feedback to the presentations of the solidarity schools.

CLAYSS met the Undersecretary of Education of Uruguay

November 10th, the team of CLAYSS Uruguay Headquarters and CLAYSS Director, Prof. María Nieves Tapia held a meeting in the office of the Undersecretary of Education of the Ministry of Education and Culture from Uruguay, Mg Edith Moraes. With the Undersecretary, they analyzed the progress of the program and projected new lines of work for 2017.

Presentation at Catholic University of Uruguay

November 10, Professor María Nieves Tapia presented at the headquarters of the Catholic University of Uruguay the second Memory of University Extension. Under the title "It is urgent what is important" the book presents reflections for higher education work in the Community. If you want read the publication (in Spanish) you can do it at: https://issuu.com/extensionucu/docs/memoria

Service learning Promoters training course

November 10th, participants of the Service Learning Promoters course attended a training session. Since 2015, CLAYSS has been training various actors of the formal and non-formal education system of Uruguay in the accompaniment and advice for institutions in Educational projects for the development of Service Learning projects. More than 30 people participated and the entire team of CLAYSS Uruguay Headquarters.

Solidarity Service-Learning in Tacuarembó Teaching institute

October 5th. at the Teacher Education Institute "Maestro Dardo Manuel Ramos", located in Tacuarembó, a rich training and closing session of the Course " Solidarity Service-Learning Pedagogical Proposal " was held. The course was developed in the first part of the year, under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Culture, CLAYSS Uruguay headquarters and the Civil Association El Chajá). Graduates from the 4th. edition and participants of the eth. Edition of the Course Course " Solidarity Service-Learning Pedagogical Proposal " coming from the EduMEC of the zone, teachers and managers of educational centers of National Administration of Public Education (Teacher Education Institute from Tacuarembó, educational centers of the three subsystems of the zone), main referents (teachers and others) of the projects participating in the Solidarity Education Contest, representatives of educational centers of the Support Program of CLAYSS Uruguay headquarters 2015/2016 and zonal networks. Ms. Ana Ma Scala and Mónica Ricamonte, members of the CLAYSS technical team, were in charge of the planning and implementation of this training.

A solidarity school winning the Community Award

Nehuen Peuman Technical School, located in Rio Negro (Bariloche), was one of the winners of the 2016 edition of the Community Award for Education. The project for which they were awarded is "La casa de Romina". The project seeks to solve one of the main problems of the neighborhood: housing thermal efficiency. Most of the students come from families with precarious housing, many of them lacking basic services such as gas and electricity. Students teach homeowners in the neighborhood how to make the necessary improvements by plugging holes in walls and ceilings and ending heat losses through poor constructional completion. In addition to improving housing by using natural techniques, students designed and built a high-performance natural stove, which they are now planning to install to the neighborhood families. The institution was part of the CLAYSS Solidarity Schools Support Program and was recognized in 2012 with the First Prize of the Presidential Award "Escuelas Solidarias”.

Solidarity students from Uruguay remodel a plaza

The students of Carpentry in Basic Vocational Training Aeroparque from the Vocational Technical Education Council (UTU) Colonia Nicolich, accompanied by their teachers, have designed, prepared and placed square games, tables, benches, a bridge and soccer arches in the square of their neighborhood!
In order to be able to achieve this, coordinated with the Canarian Comuna, with the mayor, with the Organization Fe y Alegría Uruguay among others and received the technical and economic support of CLAYSS Uruguay Headquarters. This is an educational inclusion program, aimed at adolescents over 15 years who are outside the educational system and who attend the lower stage of secondary education together with a Vocational workshop.
Local authorities value the work done and are already planning to make an agreement. Their objective is that students work in an articulated way with the Nicolich Cologne Commune in the elaboration and maintenance of wooden games for the town squares. Congratulations to the students and solidarity teachers!

University Support Program in Colombia

As one of the participants of the “Support Program for Latin American Solidarity Universities" and summoned by the Social Projection Directorate of La Gran Colombia University, our trainers Gabriela Malacrida and Sebastián Puglisi conducted the "First Training Workshop on Solidarity Service Learning for Teachers and Community Partners." November 3 - 4 in the city of Bogota deans, career directors from Bogotá and Armenia headquarters, teachers, students and graduates coordinated by Lic. Lilian Ramirez had the opportunity to socialize some projects in progress and to outline future tasks that link the students’ curricular learning with solidarity service.

Online CLAYSS courses

The second cohort of our online courses "Development of service-learning projects" and " Service-Learning in higher education" for schools, organizations and Higher Education in Spanish, English and Portuguese are being concluded. In addition, we are developing the second cohort of the Training course for promoters for fellows from CLAYSS Uruguay. The three courses will be available in the first cohort of 2017. Registration will open at the end of February. For inquiries, please write to internacionales@clayss.org.ar

IX Service-Learning Meeting in Spain

Each year, the Spanish Service-Learning Network promotes a meeting aimed at disseminating Service-Learning methodology. This meeting brings together people, entities and institutions that promote Service-Learning, as well as those who want to learn abou it and start their own projects
On November 18, the 9th Spanish Meeting of Service-Learning in Spain was held. The annual meeting of the Spanish Learning-Service Network in which the 17 driving groups were part of the network, including people from Formal education, non-formal education, social entities, universities, public administrations.
In this context, the 2016 Service-Learning Awards were given and participants from all the autonomous communities had the opportunity to share, discuss, learn about and reflect on the service-learning proposal that is developed in Educational Centers, Universities, Social Entities and Municipalities from all Spain. More information: https://sites.google.com/site/ixencuentroaps/Actualidad/home and Red Española de Aprendizaje-Servicio

Activities of the Chilean service-learning network

During the week of November 21 to 25, members of the Chilean service-learning Network (REASE) carried out activities in the cities of Concepción and Santiago de Chile. On November 23, the University of Bío-Bío organized a Seminar under the title "service-learning, a commitment to the community", with the participation of the Executive Coordinator of REASE, Manuel Caire Espinoza, the Executive President of the organization América Solidaria , Benito Baranda Ferrán, and the Director of CLAYSS, Nieves Tapia. On November 24, the Santo Tomas University organized a day to disseminate its activities related to the environment, which presented various service-learning experiences developed at the University.

Global Youth Service Day 2017

A new edition of Global Youth Service Day will be held from April 21 to 23. Organized by YSA (Youth Service America), it seeks to give visibility and promote the solidarity drive in children, adolescents and young people around the world. Youth Service America invites all educational institutions to plan and share their experiences in http://ysa.org/act/programs/gysd/

First Talloires World Conference to be held in Latin America

June 2017, for the first time in our region, a new Talloires Network Leaders Conference will take place and it will be hosted by the Veracruzana University of Mexico. The meeting invites, from June 21st to 23rd 2017, rectors of universities around the world, as well as authorities, teachers, researchers and university administrators linked to multiple forms of university commitment, including extension, RSU and service-learning. The invitation triptych can be downloaded here. To request personalized invitations, please write to internacionales@clayss.org.ar
More info: http://talloiresnetwork.tufts.edu/tnlc-2017/

2017:

• February 7th-10th: Prof. María Nieves Tapia will be presenting at the 54th Course for Rectors of CONSUDEC to be held in the city of Rosario, Santa Fe. More information: http://www.consudec.net/web/index.php/novedades/noticias/474-curso-de-rectores-2016

• February 22nd: María Nieves Tapia wil be giving an open conference at Universidad Panamericana, Mexico F.D.

• February 22nd-25th.: CLAYSS workshops for theachers and school heads at México F.D. With pre-registration, please write to internacionales@clayss.org.ar

2017:

• March 22nd – 25th 2017: Dare to Dream. The 28th Annual National Service-Learning Conference®, in Disneyland, Anaheim, California, EEUU. Organized by the NYLC (National Youth Leadership Council). More information: http://www.nylc.org/conference

• April 21th-23rd: Global Youth Service Day 2017. Organized by YSA (Youth Service America), to give visibility and promote the solidarity drive in children, adolescents and young people around the world. More information: http://ysa.org/act/programs/gysd/

• June 16th: First Global Knowledge for Democracy, Cartagena, Colombia. Organized by ARNA (Action Research Network of the Americas). More information:
  https://sites.google.com/site/arnaconnect/announcements/arna2017plannersissueglobalassemblybriefandcalltoparticipate

• June 14th-16th: 7° International Service-learning Conference, organized by University of Indianapolis (USA), Stellenbosch University (South Africa), National University of Ireland, Galway (Ireland). It will be held at the National University of Ireland, Galway, located on the west coast of Ireland. More information: http://www.conference.ie/Conferences/index.asp?Conference=480

• August 2017: 20° International Service-Learning Conference. Buenos Aires, date and place to be confirmed.

• September 14th-16th: IARSLCE Conference. A new edition of the annual conference of the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement will be held at the National University of Ireland, Galway. More information: http://www.researchslce.org/2016/09/save-date-2017-conference/