University Service Learning: Materializing Social Commitment of the University from an Education Based on Excellence

Abstract

This article is based on the Service Learning (SL) project (Puig, 2006) Miquel Martí i Pol Garden, started in 2005 at the Universitat de Vic. In the project university students with people experiencing social exclusion for reasons related with mental illness, poverty and/or immigration have created and maintained a garden open to all citizens and dedicated to the poet Martí Pol. It is an example of how universities can be a breeding ground for projects that integrate excellence in teaching with community service in the spirit of SL. But it also has the potential to improve the health and wellbeing of students. The thesis The word and action: the fight against poverty, citizenship, and occupational health through new university praxis (Simó, 2011) has been develop based on the project.