Volunteering, adventure and heritage go hand in hand these days in Jaca. The Aragonese town is currently hosting the third edition of the International Programme of Training, Adventure and Volunteering on the French Way of St. James, «University Walking Community» (UWC).
The initiative, promoted by the Association of Municipalities of the Camino de Santiago and the Compostela Group of Universities, lasts for two weeks in Aragon, from August 16 to 30, and is funded by the Government of Aragon.
AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM
15 young people from Spain, Mexico, Nicaragua and Slovakia participate in this call, combining specialized training, volunteering, knowledge of heritage and intercultural coexistence during their stay.
The group has already visited several emblematic points of the Camino in Aragon and plans to visit Somport, Canfranc, the Valle de Hecho, the Monastery of Siresa, the Cave of the Güixas de Villanúa, Mount Oroel and the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park.
The program also includes classes of Spanish as a foreign language, taught with the collaboration of the University of Zaragoza, and sessions on Romanesque art, natural heritage and the social reality of the Jacobean municipalities.
RECOGNITION BY UNESCO
This year’s edition has been selected within the UNESCO World Heritage Volunteers programme, integrated into the international campaign «Working on the Future», which reinforces the educational and international nature of the project.
Participants will soon celebrate an International Day to share traditions and customs of their countries of origin, and at the end of the program they will receive a certificate and the title of «Ambassadors of the Way«, with the commitment to transfer to their universities and communities what they learned during the experience.
With this third edition, the Association of Municipalities of the Camino de Santiago reaffirms its commitment to youth, volunteering and international cooperation around the conservation of the Camino de Santiago.
