The III Conference of the 2030 Agenda, organized by Barcelona City Council, has awarded the 'La Salle Social Challenges' project as the best contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) carried out in a higher education centre. The initiative, led by researcher Leticia Duboc, promotes collaboration and relationships between different generations and disciplines through the co-creation of interventions in which technology plays a key role.
The program brings together students from different courses and fields of knowledge, experts and citizens to co-create interventions aimed at social justice. These interdisciplinary and intergenerational teams work for weeks with the advice of experts in aging and social projects and with the accompaniment of philosopher mentors. "Together, we reflect on the opportunities and threats of technology in society, and develop a broader and grounded vision of the problems we face to achieve an inclusive society," explains Leticia Duboc.
The initiative, and the recognition by Barcelona City Council, demonstrates the commitment of La Salle-URL to contribute to the construction of a more inclusive and fair society, to the promotion of healthy aging and the training of professionals with values who are agents of the change and are involved in sustainable development on a global scale. The 'La Salle Social Challenges' project has a special impact on two of the UN SDGs: quality education (SDG 4) and sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11).
The project accumulates recognition for its innovative and sustainable nature
'La Salle Social Challenges' was awarded last year with the award 'Good practices in university social commitment' in the tenth edition of the ACM Awards for Social Responsibility awarded by Aristos Campus Mundus, the campus of international excellence that makes up the University of Deusto, the Comillas Pontifical University and the Ramon Llull University. Likewise, the initiative was one of the protagonists of the URL's second annual sustainability day, in which the renowned ethologist and activist Jane Goodall participated.
The initiative is led by researcher Leticia Duboc, who received the award together with Guiomar Corral, Director of the School of Engineering La Salle-URL, and Gema Beltrán, a student of Multimedia Engineering at La Salle-URL and one of the students who participated in the program. Irene Lebrusan, specialist in aging, and Victoria Palacín, specialist in digital participation, are also part of the project team. "At La Salle-URL our mission is to train professionals with courage to develop a more just and sustainable society, which must be done from a multidisciplinary and participatory perspective. This is precisely what we have sought with this project," said Leticia Duboc in his acceptance speech.
Barcelona City Council's Agenda 2030 awards recognize the most outstanding initiatives in relation to the SDGs
From the Area of Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing of Barcelona City Council, the third edition of the Barcelona 2030 Conference has been organized on December 14 and 15, 2023, which this year had as motto 'My city, my planet'. The event serves to reflect on the situation of the SDGs on a global scale and to discuss the economic dimension to achieve a sustainable urban model for the Barcelona of the future.
The Barcelona 2030 Agenda Awards recognizes and disseminates innovative initiatives with a measurable impact on the achievement of the SDGs in the city. Furthermore, the event generates an annual space for meeting, reflection and mutual recognition for the citizen, political, business, academic and social fabric, involved in the objectives of the 2030 Agenda. Likewise, it contributes to the international positioning of the city of Barcelona as a reference of the work of cities to achieve the SDGs, with the aim of becoming a leading city in the application of the 2030 Agenda and a speaker of inspiring initiatives for other cities around the world.
