The University Walking Community programme was created with the aim of facilitating the university community to carry out volunteer actions on the Camino de Santiago and in public institutions. Its aim is to promote the values of cooperation, solidarity, diversity, tolerance and unity.
The University Walking Community 2025 edition aims to mobilise the community between 18 and 30 years of age of the Compostela Group of Universities (CGU) to carry out municipal and university volunteering, training and enculturation actions linked to the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
TARGET PARTICIPANTS
The University Walking Community 2025 call is open to people between 18 and 30 years old, who are linked to a GCU partner university by contractual, study or research links.
The programme is open to participants with accredited functional diversity, as long as this is compatible with the specific volunteering activities to be carried out at the destination.
COVERAGE
The Compostela Group of Universities and the Association of City Councils of the Camino de Santiago will cover each selected participant with the following:
- Accommodation during the volunteering period.
- Meals during the volunteering period. On the days of arrival and departure, only one meal will be provided.
- Local transport to the destination of the volunteering activities and from there to the meeting point.
- Necessary means to carry out the volunteering action.
- Participation in complementary leisure activities may take place.
- Civil liability and accident insurance.
It will be the responsibility of the participants having medical coverage (public and/or private) for the complete duration of the volunteering period.
The beneficiaries must reach the city of Jaca (see location map here). The expenses of the round trip will be incurred by each participant. To facilitate their arrival and departure, the local organisers will provide the necessary information and support to prepare for the trip.
DATES OF IMPLEMENTATION
The volunteering actions of the University Walking Community 2025 programme will be carried out continuously for 15 days from 16 August to 30 August 2025, both days included.
CONTENT OF THE ACTIVITY
The activity will include volunteer work:
- To provide support to the agents and actors of the local community in matters related to assistance to pilgrims, information, organisation of activities, accompaniment, management of spaces and field work always related to environmental, socio-cultural and academic fields.
- To collaborate with municipal entities, associations, universities and other entities linked to the aims described above.
Training:
- The University of Zaragoza will teach a Spanish course for the foreign volunteers, accredited by the Instituto Cervantes.
- At the beginning of the activity, the volunteers will receive a volunteering course.
- Training workshops for the volunteers aiming to further their immersion in the Camino de Santiago and the society of the cities where the volunteering activities take place. Additionally, there will be emphasis on the fields of environmental, sociocultural and academic knowledge.
Culturisation:
- Tasks and seminars highlighting the importance of immersion in the culture, both local (related to the city of Jaca) as well as state-wide and of the Camino de Santiago. Emphasis will be placed on the role of the Camino as a source of dissemination and contact of cultures and European values.
- Voluntary participation in established complementary activities (e.g., cultural, ludic, university).
The activity is organised by the Compostela Group of Universities and the Association of City Councils of the Camino de Santiago, with the special collaboration of the City Council of Jaca, the Government of Aragon, the University of Zaragoza and the Spanish Federation of Associations of Friends of the Camino de Santiago.
Want to apply? You can do it by filling out the form - https://airtable.com/app3StF0fzZqLHITu/shrbNfE2neoh8Tqid
More information can be found on the COMPOSTELA Group of Universities website.