CREATIVITY: THIS YEAR’S THEME OF “ENCUENTROS UNIVERSITARIOS”
Beginning May 20th, almost 60 university students had the opportunity to enjoy Madrid and partake in Alumni College’s first summer activity, “Encuentros Universitarios”, over the course of five days.
Similar to years prior, the goals of the summer activity were to broaden cultural horizons, strengthen one’s sense of civic responsibility and social commitment, foster appreciation of the beauty around us, and encourage personal and professional development.
The conference began with a session entitled “How to Foster Creativity” given by Montserrat Herrero, a Professor of the University of Navarra with a doctorate in Philosophy. Montserrat spoke to participants about the keys to creativity: contemplation, internalization, and creation.
Other sessions on creativity were held by Ignacio Vicens, a nationally and internationally acclaimed-architect, and Isabel de Azcárraga, a Spanish film director and screenwriter.
Participants attended a musical performance given by Carolina Andrada, a mezzo-soprano and painter, a flamenco show entitled “Emotions”, and an art exhibition titled “En Queimada” hosted by the Artia Group.
Participants also attended get-togethers with the renowned Spanish journalist Marta Fernández and director of Campus Creativo at the University of Navarra Carlos Bernar,
Workshops are a fundamental aspect of Encuentros. This year, Encuentros hosted a creative workshop about masks given by Irene García-Inés. Participants were also lucky enough to visit Pangea, an organization that aims to inspire youth to take action in our world, as well as took part in numerous creative workshops with Iranzu Sáinz de Murieta.
These five days were filled with dialogue, reflection, and learning for all those involved in this year’s Encuentros Universitarios. Thank you to all who attended and organized the event!