55 boys and girls are participating in the fourth annual Summer “ Campus ” in Fitero

For the fourth consecutive year, the University of Navarra has organized the“¡Vivir Fitero! ¡Viva Fitero!” program, a summer campus in which 55 boys and girls from the town of La Ribera participated. The initiative, sponsored by the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS), took place throughout the month of July at the Juan de Palafox Public Summer Camp high school with the support of two students from the School of Education , and Psychology and two from the School of Architecture, as well as 10 volunteers.

Its goal is to promote socialization, respect, and harmonious coexistence through activities that use the Spanish as a tool vehicle. The campus has received support from the internship program Revitalizar el Patrimonio Rural, funded by the Government of Navarre/La Caixa Foundation, the Fitero City Council, and the Faculty of Education and Psychology.

Ana María Fernández, a professor at the School of Applied Management and an ICS collaborator, coordinates the project alongside Ruth Breeze, scientific co-director of the ICS, and Katya Palafox, a professor in the School of Education , and Psychology. Fernández views the experience very positively: “Year after year, the summer campus has become more established and has earned a great reputation, as evidenced by this year’s high participation, both from children of immigrant origin and those born here.”

The “ project ” (School of Language and Socialization) was launched in 2023 to address a “ status ” faced by a high percentage of students from immigrant backgrounds—particularly those from the Maghreb—namely, the loss of “ skill ” in “ Spanish ” during school breaks. As “ result ” to the language problem, other, deeper obstacles were identified regarding socialization, respect for rules, empathy, and coexistence.

To address these challenges, this program was launched, bringing together children from various backgrounds. Throughout the month, the children—ages 6 to 12—have attended the “ educational ” center to participate in a variety of creative and sports activities, each week following a different theme, all centered on Fitero: nature, cultural heritage, gastronomy, and its people. “The town becomes the setting in which we live and, at the same time, a cultural and identit framework —one that we want our children to get to know, understand, and feel as their own,” Fernández emphasizes.

meeting with the " Education " and culture

While summer is a time of new experiences and travel for many children, not everyone has the same opportunities. “For some of the participants, their daily world is extremely limited. In these cases, the ‘ campus ’ takes on special significance: it gives them a reason to leave home, meet other people, interact with other children, have fun, and discover places that are usually out of their reach,” explains the teacher.

It also emphasizes that this represents a“meeting ” with culture and the Education, allowing children to access cultural spaces, activities, and experiences. “In this way, stepping outside their everyday environment also means expanding the world they know.” And all of this takes place with the “ Spanish ” as the “ language ” vehicle—an aspect that provides linguistic immersion “particularly relevant for children who have just arrived in Fitero or Spain, as well as for those who have been here for a short time, allowing them to maintain and enrich their language skills,” he adds.