SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY CENTER
OUR PURPOSE
- Institutional Learn more
- Academic Learn more
- Community Engagement Learn more
Contributing to the development of social transformation agents by strengthening the bond between the University and the community, with the goal of transforming our country’s social fabric and improving the quality of life for vulnerable populations.
To foster social responsibility and promote education for sustainable development to build a better, more equitable world.
OUR MISSION
To help develop agents of social transformation by strengthening the bond between the University and the community, contributing to the improvement of our country's social fabric and the quality of life of vulnerable populations.
We address our purpose through four areas of responsibility:
Community Engagements
Community engagement is considered a substantive function of the University, which, together with education and research, make up our academic model cornerstones.
In its interaction with external stakeholders, outreach activities position the University in an ongoing communication process with actors in the public, private and third sector arenas, to understand the transforming power existing in a dynamic and cooperative relation between academia and society.
A set of projects are instrumental to fulfilling this purpose and materializing this ideal.
CROSS-CURRICULAR ACADEMIC PROJECTS
By connecting the university with civil society organizations, these projects focus on addressing real social needs. Guiding students in the design of a learning experiences and a discipline-specific initiatives to engage with these challenges. Projects typically run over 2 or 4 month periods.
COMMUNITY INTERVENTION PROJECTS
These projects address more complex issues than those tackled in Cross-Curricular Academic Projects. They are developed through a multidisciplinary approach, structured similarly to research teams, with the key distinction that they focus on topics directly applied to real community needs. Duration: one year.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS SERVICES
These are services delivered in collaboration with community organizations, designed to respond to identified opportunities with high potential for social impact. Their implementation may be integrated with Cross-Curricular Academic Projects and Community Intervention Projects. Duration: Ongoing / Permanent.
Volunteering 21
This space for commitment and community service promotes shared purpose by identifying, creating, and promoting volunteering opportunities in collaboration with partner organizations across the country. It serves as a bridge and facilitator for students, graduates, and faculty who wish to engage in meaningful volunteer work. Volunteering 21 is structured around four key development areas: Service, Education, Environment, and Human Rights.
Academy
Solidarity practice
Solidarity Practice is a required component of all undergraduate programs, regardless of the mode of delivery. It offers students a practical experience designed to complement and enrich their professional training.
This initiative aims to foster a strong sense of Social Responsibility, encouraging students to grow as engaged citizens and future social leaders through hands-on involvement in real-world contexts.
Certificate in sustainability competencies
The Certificate in Sustainability Competencies offers an integrated, multidisciplinary approach that introduces key concepts, ideas, and methodologies related to sustainable development. This approach emphasizes balancing economic growth with environmental stewardship while addressing social needs. The certificate is designed to enhance students’ academic journey by providing knowledge and developing skills essential for professional practice. It is available as a complementary program to all undergraduate degrees and can be pursued starting from the junior year at no additional cost.
For more information, visit: https://contenidos.21.edu.ar/landings/certificado-en-competencias-de-sustentabilidad/
Specific subjects aligned to SDGs
These courses offer targeted learning experiences focused on sustainability education. They include:
Social Responsibility
The bases of Social Responsibility and sustainable development are introduced through this subject, generating global citizenship awareness and providing tools for analysis and actions following this direction.
Sustainable Organization Managements
This subject provides tools and methods to fully understand organizations’ potential to act in pursuit of social sustainability.
Community Mediation and Peace Culture
It will help you know, understand and analyze the conditions of the new social scenarios and the contribution of community mediation as a social health strategy.New Economies & Social Innovation
This will allow students to know and understand the foundations of New Economies. These movements, appearing at all world and local levels, offer the possibility to approach entrepreneurship for a purpose with triple impact (economic, social and environmental).
Gender Studies for Professional Development
This subject introduces you to conceptual and political discussions on diverse gender and sexual orientation. It will give you notions, methods and legal tools for gender and sexual diversity political and social debates and will offer a discussion forum to employ the conceptual tools learned.
Diploma in social and work inclusion competencies
Siglo 21 University proudly offers the only Diploma in Social and Work Inclusion Competencies in Argentina. This program is available annually at our Córdoba and Río Cuarto campuses, as well as at the Buenos Aires Learning Center.
The diploma is awarded after two and a half years of study and is designed to provide an inclusive academic environment for individuals with intellectual disabilities—respecting their right to education and equal access to opportunities.
The program fosters the development of self-determined behaviors and equips students with both technical and soft skills, enhancing their social inclusion and employment prospects to support independent living projects.
Throughout the program, students gain practical work experience through supervised internships and community engagement with civil society organizations and businesses. This hands-on approach extends learning beyond the classroom into real-world work environments.
For more information, visit: HERE.
Inclusion
Accessibility
At the Social Sustainability Center, we work in collaboration with various Siglo 21 areas to ensure the Right to Education and Accessibility of our entire student community with any disability.
We seek to offer support and advise in their academic journey, to all students who request it, providing reasonable adjustment to secure equal conditions in access, permanence and exit.
We are committed to provide advise and training in good inclusion practices to our faculty by implementing the Inclusive Educational Practice Protocol to ensure alignment and action.
Universidad Siglo 21, through its Social Sustainability Center, is part of the Cordoba Universities Disability Inclusion Network (IDUC Network), created as a strategic inter-university space for reciprocal support in reflection, exchange, cooperation, technical assistance and action, with a view to promote and effectively materialize the inclusion of people with disabilities into the university and establish disability as a human rights issue.
If you are part of our community and would like to talk, please reach us out here:
Sustainability report
In 2017, we joined the United Nations Global Compact, reaffirming our commitment to upholding its 10 Principles and advancing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. If you want to know more on recent years' sustainability reports, click below:
Contact us
Social Sustainability Center: sustentabilidad21@ues21.edu.ar
Volunteering 21 Community: voluntarios21@ues21.edu.ar