School Neighborhood Stewardship

My name is Abel del Rey, and I work at El Castillo Foundation School, a very small school located in Tudela, Navarra. We work with students aged 14, offering both basic vocational training and an adapted curriculum program. These students need an educational alternative with a more practical approach, one that helps them rediscover a positive feeling toward a school environment.
Given that we don’t have a science lab and there’s no space for a school garden, I proposed combining territorial stewardship with education, using the urban environment right next to the school. This includes a park and a neighborhood—the historic center of Tudela. Through the service-learning methodology, what is taught in the classroom has a social impact, improving the community where the school is located.

We secured collaboration from the Tudela City Council, and the students began reflecting on the needs of the area. They proposed a series of actions that led to the territorial stewardship agreement we have today.

This methodology has helped students feel that they have an environment that is part of their school. They understand that the neighborhood, the park next to the school, and the plot of land provided by the city council for the school garden are all part of a school where they feel comfortable and want to be. This is achieved because they improve that environment for the entire community, and their efforts turn that space into something of their own.

What do students value most about territorial stewardship?
They value that their work has a practical and tangible impact; they appreciate not always being in the classroom, going outdoors, meeting people, and having their work recognized, that has often been undervalued in other educational settings.

The result we are most proud of is that our school has transformed from a place where students who couldn’t meet educational challenges arrived, to one where they demonstrate their ability to do interesting things and, above all, help others—even when others didn’t believe it was possible.

The initiative has been so successful that every year we conduct an analysis and diagnosis of the neighborhood based on the Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, it led to the creation of a Guide to School Neighborhood Stewardship, commissioned by the Association for Service-Learning in Navarra and other foundations, so that this methodology can be replicated in other schools and educational environments.

More information about the initiative is available in the descriptive fact sheet.