Fourteen students succeed thanks to the pioneering program for care leavers at URV
URV already supports fourteen former foster care students who overcome social and economic barriers to attend university. This pioneering program not only informs and accompanies them but also offers financial support to facilitate their access to and stay at the university.
The Amb-Èxit-Ed project, promoted by the Rovira i Virgili University with the support of the Department of Social Rights and Inclusion of the Generalitat, has been running since the 2020/21 academic year. Currently, fourteen young people benefit from it and will break prejudices that often keep them away from higher education.
Real support for an invisible group
Essential accompaniment and financial aid
The program is not a mere symbolic gesture: it provides information, emotional, and financial support to former foster youth. These students, who often arrive with less social network and resources, can thus buy materials, pay for lunch, and focus on studying without the constant fear of not being able to continue.
Laura Frau, a third-year Social Education student, highlights that without this support, she would not have gotten where she is now. The reserved spot for former foster care students and this aid are key to maintaining motivation and surpassing the university entrance grade.
A reserved place that opens doors
The Generalitat guarantees a place per degree and university for the former foster care group, a detail that makes the difference between falling behind or starting a university career. This preferential access makes the program effective in shaking the prejudices surrounding these young people.
Irene Márquez, who is in her first year of Social Education, explains how learning about the program through a talk and an open day changed her perspective. The continuous support from the program coordinators has made her feel less alone and more confident to move forward.
The project that breaks barriers and prejudices
A unique program in Catalonia
So far, URV is the only Catalan university with a specific program for former foster care students. Inspired by an initiative from the University of the Basque Country, Amb-Èxit-Ed has achieved that this group begins to have visible presence in the university field.
Carme Garcia Yeste, promoter of the program, hopes that this project continues beyond the initial four years of funding. The idea is to adapt financial support to the real needs of new students who enter.
A network that is expanding
URV maintains contacts with representatives from other Catalan universities to advise and assist former foster care students. This means that, even though only URV has a formal program, the movement is strengthening and the group is becoming increasingly present and visible.
This initiative helps fight the lack of social networks and the prejudices that often isolate them, allowing them to demonstrate that they have the same capacities to study as any other student.
Testimonials that bring the program to life
Laura Frau: an inspiring experience
Laura not only highlights the financial aid but emphasizes the confidence the program has given her to move forward. Her goal is to work in a shelter to help other young people in similar situations, thus closing a circle of help and hope.
Irene Márquez: motivation and accompaniment
Irene believes the most valuable thing has been knowing there is someone who always accompanies her and believes in her. This sense of support and the information received have made university a possible and real path, not a distant dream.
The Amb-Èxit-Ed program not only opens doors but accompanies these young people hand in hand so they don’t get lost along the way and can break the barriers society places before them.
The reality is that, while other universities still look at this group from a distance, URV has already set fourteen students on a path to a different future.
Source of the article: Rovira i Virgili University
