GLOCAL 2026

On Tuesday 28 April, the Ágora UPV will host the Great Malagasy Festival (12 noon to 6 PM), an event organised by the Centre for Development Cooperation (CCD) of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) in partnership with the NGO Agua Pura to raise awareness of the project carried out in Madagascar by a group of UPV volunteers (students and lecturers), which has led to the creation of a cooperative of women farmers led by single women from the Malagasy community.

The event, which includes numerous activities (a Madagascar quiz, a dance and Malagasy language workshop, a cooking workshop, a concert, a talk, etc.), forms part of the projects supporting solidarity and social participation promoted by the CCD-UPV through its GLOCAL 2026 programme.

Defence of social justice and commitment to human rights

GLOCAL is a programme that provides grants to the university community to organise solidarity activities that foster social participation. It aims to defend social justice and build a more caring world, encouraging active citizen involvement in sustainable human development and respect for other cultures.

Through GLOCAL, the CCD-UPV aims to raise awareness of the causes of poverty and socio-economic inequalities in today's world, promoting social participation, activism and volunteering within the university community, centred on the defence of human rights and the climate emergency.

Hands in Action

Along these lines, another initiative promoted by GLOCAL is Hands in Action: Graphic Art and Social Sustainability, a project comprising a series of workshops and educational activities that foster artistic thinking in school settings, promoting reflection and social cohesion.

Led by PhD student Lucía Cervantes, coordinated by Ana Tomás and Chele Esteve, lecturers in the Department of Drawing at the Faculty of Fine Arts, and with the collaboration of students Paula Clar and Celia Verdú, Hands in Action will take place over the coming months in various educational centres, starting with the Serrería Nursery and Primary School (CEIP) Serrería, where it is currently working with Year 6 pupils.

Echoes of Humanity: Memory and Tolerance

Another activity supported by GLOCAL is the visual and participatory exhibition "Echoes of Humanity: Memory and Tolerance", a thought-provoking exhibition that uses artistic language to reflect on the persistence of genocide and systematic violence throughout history, including the current tragedy being experienced by the Palestinian people.

The exhibition will open on Monday, 27 April, in the lobby of the CALUM-Student Centre (Building 4K on the Vera campus, Valencia), and will include a round-table discussion; it will remain open to the public, with free admission, until 8 May.

School for Activists against Deforestation and Rural Abandonment

Also in May, the School for Activists II will take place, a series of completely free activities for the UPV university community to be held in Viver on 15, 16 and 17 May, which, through trails and games, will address issues such as rural abandonment, deforestation and the role of women in this field.

The initiative, organised by the UPV MOU-TE Design Factory group, requires prior registration with a deadline of 30 April, and is being run in collaboration with the Reforesta Association and the Association of Forest Municipalities of the Valencian Community (AMUFOR).

14 initiatives in total

These are just 4 of the 14 initiatives that the CCD-UPV will support in 2026 through GLOCAL, projects that include urban mapping with a gender perspective, digital literacy, the restoration of Valencian cultural heritage, a literary film club on Palestine and a long list of other activities aimed at helping to build a better world through two key elements: awareness-raising and training.