Campus DEPARTMENT OF MISSIONS AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT | UFV Study at the Universidad Privada Madrid

About us

The Department of Missions and Social Development is an initiative that seeks to promote comprehensive training and human and social development throughout the university community, offering support and advice for the implementation and adaptation of the various international mission initiatives that arise at UFV.

Every year, 400 students go on missions!

What are missions?

UFV Missions is an academic and educational activity that offers students a life-changing experience.

This is not volunteer work or a charity trip.

Participants are not "going to help," but rather to learn, discuss, and gain knowledge.

They are students and teachers who, faced with the beauty and harshness of the world, seek to better understand reality in order to contribute to a more just and humane world.

Its purpose is to awaken a deeper social conscience and prepare students to lead, from their professional and personal futures, processes of change that make the world a more just and humane place.

What do you need to go on missions?

Fill out the mission evaluation form: Post-Mission Questionnaire 2025

group-of-senior-people-attending-computer-and-tech-2024-10-18-08-45-36-qqqq-768x511 DEPARTMENT OF MISSIONS AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT | UFV Study at the Universidad Privada Madrid

“One day of missions is worth a month. Missions are an oasis where your entire focus shifts. It is an impressive discovery that raises questions about suffering, love, and the existence of each individual.”

GUADALUPE LÓPEZ BARRAU

DIRECTOR OF THE ACADEMY OF ALLIES

“Missions can change the life of anyone who wants it. They leave a mark inside you that you are never the same again.”

ALEJANDRO CARBALLO

DEPARTMENT OF MISSIONS AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT:

“Many people dream of going on missions, but only those who feel a deep calling take that step. That happened to me in Argentina: I understood that we weren't going to "save" anyone, but rather allow ourselves to be transformed. ”

LAURA DE LA CALLE

“Since I was a child, I felt the missionary calling: I collected newspapers to help the missions and later collaborated in hospitals, villages, and social projects. Today, at UFV, I am a trainer in the Motril mission. That experience of wonder I saw in those who opened their doors to us is what I now try to awaken in my students.”

CRISTINA RUIZ ALBERDI

Department objectives

Since 1995, Francisco de Vitoria University has been carrying out missions in different countries, creating meeting spaces that transform those who participate. The purpose of the Missions program is to offer a profound formative experience that helps our students broaden their horizons and put their lives at the service of society. At the same time, it seeks to accompany and support, with respect and closeness, people and communities living in vulnerable situations.

Consolidate the Missions model at UFV, strengthening its identity, structure, and methodology in accordance with the University's Ideology.

Advise on all Mission initiatives that arise within UFV, ensuring consistency, quality, and unity among the various projects.

Accompany all students participating in the program, creating processes that allow them to integrate their experiences and become drivers of change both on and off campus.

Bring together and accommodate all Mission initiatives promoted by Faculties, University Halls of Residence, Administrative and Service Staff, Alumni, Postgraduate Students, ELU, and other UFV entities, creating a common framework that promotes coordination and growth of the program.

Accompanying individuals and supporting local communities, offering an authentic presence and genuine support built on listening, respect, and collaboration.

Areas

Consulting

The Advisory Department ensures the consistency and growth of the Missions model:

Accompany and evaluate each program, ensuring its alignment with UFV's mission statement and educational objectives.

Designs and proposes new Mission initiatives, aligned with the real needs and specific priorities of each department.

Facilitates administrative and management processes and protocols for the smooth running of each program, ensuring that all areas involved work in a coordinated and efficient manner.

Training

Training is essential to ensure meaningful, responsible, and transformative mission experiences:

We coordinate the training programs for all Mission initiatives.

We promote the School for the Formation of Formators, aimed at those responsible for and formators of missionary teams.

We publish materials that support training before, during, and after missions, offering resources that enrich the preparation, accompaniment, and final reflection of students and trainers.

Support

We accompany trainers, offering them spaces for reflection, listening, and support to give meaning to their work and strengthen their capacity for accompaniment.

We help them integrate missionary experience into their educational practice and university life, promoting a style of leadership that is both conscious and service-oriented.

Organization and Management

We advise on the management and organization of all UFV Mission groups.

We seek funding, sponsorships, and resources that enable the development of projects.

We are launching new projects in different countries to give students more opportunities.

Research

The academic dimension of the Misiones project also includes a commitment to applied research, focusing particularly on the areas of poverty, hunger, sustainability, and comprehensive human development.

Through UFV's Research Group on Poverty, Hunger, and Sustainability, we promote reflection, interdisciplinary dialogue, and knowledge production that contribute to a better understanding of the realities in which we work and to generating transformative solutions.

Research Group on Poverty, Hunger, and Sustainability — UFV Contact

Publications

The commitment to disseminating knowledge and experiences from Misiones is also reflected in various publications promoted by UFV.

Among them, the following stand out:

“Miradas de Julio” UFV Editorial, a work that brings together reflections, testimonies, and humanistic approaches related to experiences of service, the meaning of suffering, human dignity, and social commitment.

“International Solidarity Missions” UFV publishing house. International solidarity missions – UFV publishing house

Impact

Impact of the department

Growing and sustained participation

More than 3,000 students have already participated in UFV Missions. Each year, new missionaries join, consolidating a university culture of commitment, service, and reflection that encompasses all faculties, graduate programs, alumni, CETYS, Colegio Mayor, and ELU.

Involvement and growth of teachers and trainers

Dozens of professors and trainers actively participate in preparing, accompanying, and monitoring missionary teams. This experience allows them to renew their educational vocation, share lessons learned, and strengthen UFV's teaching and humanistic identity.

Cross-disciplinary work between faculties and areas

The Department promotes effective coordination between all university faculties and services. The Missions have become a joint project that brings together different disciplines, fostering networking and a sense of university community.

Educational innovation and our own training model

UFV Missions represent a pioneering model of comprehensive education, combining academic learning, social commitment, and personal reflection. No other university offers a program of this kind, with comprehensive support before, during, and after the experience.

International reach and impact

The scope of the project is growing beyond Spain. More and more institutions and universities in the international network linked to UFV are requesting support to replicate the UFV Missions model, recognizing it as a benchmark in transformative education and university social responsibility.

Institutional strengthening and sense of belonging

The Missions consolidate the UFV educational model and reinforce the commitment of the entire university community to the mission of educating to transform the world from within, promoting a common identity based on fraternity, service, and the pursuit of the common good.

International outreach and commitment of UFV

Through UFV Missions, Francisco de Vitoria University raises its profile in the contexts where we work, universities and communities in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, showcasing our comprehensive education model and commitment to human and social development. In addition, we hold international meetings with organizations such as the United Nations, the European Union, and various embassies, where we share the experience and impact of UFV Missions, thereby strengthening the university's global reach and its role as an agent of transformation.

Solidarity and ecclesial commitment

For more than three decades, UFV Missions has maintained a firm commitment to collaborating with more than 70 NGOs and Catholic Church institutions that work to serve the most vulnerable people. Thanks to this joint effort, thousands of people and communities in different countries have received guidance, support, and training.

Mission history

Since 1995, UFV has been present in:

Uganda

India

Croatia

Ethiopia

Paraguay

Spain

Philippines

Equatorial Guinea

Do you have any questions?

Email:
misiones@ufv.es