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Sfera Experience 2024, organised by Camilo José Cela University, concluded with an event in which the participating teams showcased their projects to an international panel of judges.
In this edition, 13 countries, 14 universities, 258 students, and 36 projects participated. The Honourable Mention went to the University of Costa Rica, the second prize to the Central American Technological University of Honduras, and the winning team was the Austral University of Argentina, who will be awarded with a master’s course at Camilo José Cela University in Madrid.
Social innovation and entrepreneurship
Sfera Experience promotes collaboration among young university students to address social and environmental challenges at the local, regional, and global levels. This transformative scheme, which combines learning and action, was developed over five months of online training and one week of in-person activities in Bolivia.
The in-person event took place over the past week at the Bolivian Private University (UPB), winner of Sfera Experience 2023. Students had the opportunity to complete their training and get a close look at the Bolivian entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The rector of UPB, Francisco Javier Mayorga, inaugurated the event, highlighting the teams’ commitment to the common good. Héctor Escamilla, rector of UCJC, thanked UPB for hosting this year’s final, emphasising the importance of the project in training agents of change in communities. Ignacio Sell, director of Sfera Experience, highlighted entrepreneurship as a vital attitude and the importance of equity, justice and peace in this context. Sergio García-Agreda, director of international graduate programmes at UPB (Bolivian Private University), and Paola Arjona, Project manager of Sfera Experience at Camilo José Cela University, also participated in the organisation of Sfera Experience.
During the final session, the teams presented their projects to an international panel of judges. Some of the projects presented were:
- The National University of Cuyo (Mendoza, Argentina) addressed the problem of gender stereotypes in a cooperative of urban waste recyclers in Mendoza, proposing a Triple Impact Consulting firm with a gender perspective called ECO GENDER 360º.
- The Technological Institute of Higher Studies of Monterrey (Mexico) aims to improve women’s health through a chocolate called Lanay, whose formula is created with nanotechnology to reduce menstrual pain.
- Yachay Tech University (Ecuador) proposes to empower women in rural areas of Ecuador by providing them with tools and training in the use of advanced technologies to promote their economic independence while preserving cultural heritage and promoting environmental responsibility. Their project is called Yachana Charapa. Their project is called Yachana Charapa.
- The University of Panama presented Fundagoal, a foundation that, through football, aims to generate values, self-confidence, teamwork, entrepreneurship training, and community work to help reduce violence and crime among vulnerable young people in their community.
- The University of Costa Rica proposes a digital platform called “Semillas” that provides all kinds of resources that facilitate the growth and sustainability of civil society organizations and micro business models.
- The Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador) has presented SAMAI, a comprehensive support system for teenage mothers with the aim of providing them with psychological and legal support and training them to become entrepreneurs.
- César Vallejo University (Peru) presented their project Wuarmi Cajachas focused on the dairy industry in their country, proposing an association of small and medium-sized farmers with an alternative management model as an economic livelihood cantered on digitization and experiential tourism.
- The Bolivian Private University (Bolivia) aimed to create a flower shop called “Tik’a Kachitu” that contributes to the increase of women floriculturists by helping to reduce the gender wage gap through a business model that eliminates intermediaries.
- The Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana (Honduras) proposes TransformArte, an initiative that seeks to promote safe spaces dedicated to the comprehensive development of children and adolescents in order to prevent them from being groomed by gangs.
- The Continental University (Peru) has partnered with ReNNACER with the aim of improving the living conditions of over 100,000 children who were orphaned in their country as a result of COVID, preventing them from falling into poverty and ensuring they have access to education and mental health services.
- The Universidad Austral (Argentina) aims to break down the “aesthetic violence” caused by social pressure surrounding physical appearance through its project Kaleico. It uses schools as a link between school-age girls, parents, and teachers.
- Camilo José Cela University has set out, with the Heredia Project, to improve the situation of women from the Roma ethnic group in order to reduce the prevailing patriarchy in these communities through a mobile application called that facilitates knowledge and access to all kinds of assistance and resources available to them.
- The National Autonomous University of Nicaragua wants to address the issue of socio-economic vulnerability of women and girls in Villa Guadalupe with Sarela Atelier to empower them through work and education that provides them with the opportunity to generate exclusive and high-quality artisanal products with social responsibility.
