The project “Com ânimo, sem pânico” – Facing national exams with a positive attitude – carried out by Técnico students, won the second phase of UNI.covid-19 -Santander Award . The project is an online platform created by Técnico students attending the second year of Chemical Engineering and Applied Mathematics courses, and intends to bring together the largest possible number of university students to support secondary school students for the national exams. The Técnico students will donate the €2,000 scholarship to Casa da Infância e Juventude de Castelo Branco (CIJE), in the form of IT equipment.
According to the team, what may have captivated the jury is the project’s scope. “Education was one of the most affected sectors by the pandemic, so a lot of effort was needed to overcome this situation”, says Catarina Grou Gonçalves, the group’s spokeswoman. The Técnico students also believe that the project stood out because “this is a volunteer-based project that unites all young people in the country and have been implemented in a short space of time without financial support or partnerships”.
“This award recognises the potential of our project”, Catarina Grou Gonçalves. “Our project shows that the goodness of our generation has no limits and that knowledge is our best weapon”, she stresses. “We never thought the project would take on this sort of dimension. We consider it our legacy of quarantine”, she adds.
The Técnico students decided to donate IT equipment to CIJE due to their close ties with the city of Castelo Branco. “CIJE is one of the oldest institutions in the city, currently hosting 38 children / young people, from 6 to 21 years old, on a boarding school regime: basic and secondary education, and professional training courses”, says the Técnico student. The team intends to “stimulate the desire to return to classes. For the moment, blended learning is still being considered. One thing, though, is clear, nowadays IT equipment is crucial in supporting study”, says the project’s founder.
This project was based on mutual assistance and support for young people. “Initially, our goal was to support disadvantaged students, but due to the hundreds of applications we received, it was impossible follow our initial goal”, shares Catarina Grou Gonçalves. This donation to CIJE ends up being a way of “honouring our purpose”, says the the group’s spokeswoman.
200 secondary school students and 330 university students have already joined the plaftform. “The number of applications have dropped but many students continue to apply. As national exams aproach, higher education students have to mange their time effectively, but everyone is facing this project as a challenge and a way of helping the community”, stresses Catarina Grou Gonçalves. Regarding the future, the Técnico student says “this project depends on students; they are the soul of this project”.
The UNI.covid-19 Santander Award is divided into 3 phases and the projects are evaluated according to: quality of applications, relevance of project’s scope and innovative outcomes related to the pandemic; ability to implement the project effectively in the short term; potential replicability; relationship with the Higher Education Institution and level of committment of university students. Projects developed by students from University of Madeira, Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco and IADE – Universidade Europeia, were also awarded.
Banco Santander launched this award to respond to Covid-19 crisis, in order to highlight and support social impact initiatives carried out by young university students and other members of the academic community.
