Gaztenpatia, the program promoted by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and Euskal Fondoa (Association of Basque Local Cooperation Entities), is celebrating its tenth anniversary. The program offers university students the opportunity to engage in development cooperation projects. Through internships, volunteering, and Final Degree Projects, nearly 250 students have already been involved in initiatives developed in collaboration with partner organizations and entities in El Salvador, Colombia, Guatemala, and the Sahara.
To commemorate the anniversary, a three-day Intercultural Encounter has been organized in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Bilbao, and Donostia. This event has brought together students, faculty, organizations, and institutional representatives to share experiences, discover new projects, and reflect on the university's role in fostering a more committed citizenry.
The first stop was in Vitoria-Gasteiz on Monday, where students from the Degree in Social Work gained firsthand knowledge of the projects that participating Latin American organizations are proposing for the 2026/27 academic year. The following day, the Bizkaia Aretoa hosted the seminar-workshop "Rethinking Gaztenpatia," providing a space to review learnings and share best practices and improvement proposals among faculty and participating organizations.
The initiative concludes today in Donostia with an institutional reception and the signing of the Manifesto ‘For a Basque Youth Committed to Solidarity and Social Transformation’, marking the tenth anniversary. This event acknowledges the collaboration between the UPV/EHU, Euskal Fondoa, institutions, and social organizations, and reaffirms the shared commitment to cooperation, human rights, and education.
The event was opened by Arantxa López Simón, the councilor delegate for Cultural Diversity and Inclusion of the Donostia City Council. Subsequently, Joxerramon Bengoetxea, rector of the UPV/EHU, in Basque, and Nati López de Munain Alzola, president of Euskal Fondoa, in Spanish, signed and read the Gaztenpatia Manifesto.
“"Ours is a time of great uncertainty, a context where hate speech is growing and societies are increasingly polarized. We are in a moment where disinformation spreads easily. Wars are also lengthening and spreading, and in response, investment in weaponry has increased, while sources of collaboration and solidarity are simultaneously being reduced. In this context, the role of the public university is clear: its role is to defend rigorous knowledge, critical thinking, and the values on which the university is based: peace, equality, sustainability, and solidarity with all the peoples of the world. To achieve this, it is essential to train individuals capable of committing to transforming that world."
In this regard, the UPV/EHU rector highlighted the value of the Gaztenpatia program. "The university can also contribute to development cooperation: by training professionals who gain firsthand knowledge of other realities, by placing the knowledge from all our disciplines at the service of specific projects, and by building bridges between our students and the communities where we work. This program is a good example of that."
Nati López de Munain Alzola, president of Euskal Fondoa, emphasized "the value of collaboration between public institutions and how, when we are able to work together, we can create spaces for encounter and learning that have a real impact on the people and communities we work with. Gaztenpatia is a clear reflection of this: an initiative that connects Basque youth with other realities, allows us to learn from each other, and reminds us that cooperation is not just about accompanying processes elsewhere, but also about building relationships, knowledge, and growing together. After ten years, we want to reaffirm our commitment to this way of understanding cooperation and to continue strengthening ties with the communities and organizations in the countries we work with."
Following the manifesto signing, the program continued with a presentation of Gaztenpatia, a screening of a commemorative video of its ten years, speeches from partner entities, a video showcasing experiences from the current edition, and testimonials from participating students.
