27 January 2025
Bilbao Campus
From January 20-24, 14 students of the “Ignatian Leadership” course at the University of Deusto lived an intense experience in Valladolid that brought them closer to the reality of migrants and social transformation projects. Over the course of five days, the group, accompanied by their professor and a chaperone, had the opportunity to understand leadership in the key of service and as a tool to change their environment.
In the mornings, the students served in three key organizations. At the Incola Network Foundation, they worked at the Calor y Café intercultural center, where they offered support to migrants. Another group worked in INEA's ecological vegetable garden project and in the Ana Leal Community, initiatives that link sustainability and social support. The afternoons were dedicated to group reflection with joint visits to the institutions, deepening the lessons learned and listening to the testimonies of the people involved.
One of the most enriching moments of the experience were the meetings with Maru González, coordinator of the Incola Network; Inés Tabarés, head of the Calor y Café center; and Félix Revilla, director of INEA projects. Their words and commitment served as inspiration for the students, who highlighted the positive impact of the testimonials. “It is an example of how collaboration and transversality can transform realities from different areas in a city like Valladolid,” commented one of the participants.
The group lived together in the Magis house, located in the Cristo Rey educational center and directed by Lucas Alcañiz, which reinforced the community dimension of the experience. The students especially appreciated the opportunity to share experiences in community and the close encounter with the migrants and those responsible for the projects.
This experience, along with others of a spiritual nature, embodies the faith-justice binomial that defines Jesuit formation. The course “Ignatian Leadership”, part of the Human Formation and Values Module, aims to train students to be agents of transformation in our world under the inspiration of St. Ignatius. The group is made up of students from different grades. During these days in Valladolid they have been able to experience in a tangible way that there are other ways of doing things in society based on Ignatian inspiration. The evaluation of the group refers to an experience that not only makes a personal mark, but also inspires them to continue working for a more just world.
