Solidarity Academic Practices: strategies and challenges to promote the extension of students at the Universidad Nacional del Litoral

Abstract

The University Volunteer Program of the Universidad Nacional del Litoral was created in 2004, taking as its immediate precedent the university's action in the tragic flood of Santa Fe in 2003.
The progress of the Program generated internal discussions about the meaning and relevance of the term “volunteering” in the academic field. It was necessary to link social commitment with academic knowledge in learning instances, in line with the extension approaches and policies established by the university. Thus the term was redefined and two types of practices were identified: Solidarity Academic Practices and Solidarity Practices.
The article provides an overview of 20 years of work in which the student community becomes one of the central actors in these practices. Diagnoses, strategies and challenges seek to stimulate this type of experiences that focus on comprehensive training while contributing to society.