Closing ceremony of the EducaIncluye and Promotores del Diálogo 2025 programs: The commitment to advance education for all.

The event included reflections on the contributions and future plans of these spaces, which were developed during the second half of this year. Awards were also presented to those who contributed to these processes, whether as participants or facilitators.

Last Monday, November 24th, the closing ceremony for the programs took place. EducaIncluye y Promoters of Dialogue, two initiatives promoted by UC Pedagogy students and the Student Development Sub-Directorate (SubDe), aimed at addressing practical training needs identified by future teachers.

The event included reflections on the contributions and future plans of these spaces, which were developed during the second half of this year. Awards were also presented to those who contributed to these processes, whether as participants or facilitators.

The ceremony was attended by the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Malba Barahona; the Executive Director of Undergraduate Studies, Carolina Aranda; and the Deputy Director of Student Development, John Williams, together with department heads, teachers, officials and participating students.

The commitment to include it as a hallmark of training

The Director of Undergraduate Studies, Malba BarahonaShe emphasized the profound educational value of both initiatives, highlighting the students' commitment to voluntary participation. Her message stressed that these experiences represent "the best of our Faculty."

“This level of dedication speaks to the vocation, responsibility, and sense of community that we hope to see in our future teachers,” he said.

Education based on student will, autonomy, and creativity

The Deputy Director of Student Development, John WilliamsHe highlighted the value of extracurricular processes that arose from the autonomous desire of the students, who participated voluntarily in these programs, expressing a genuine and creative commitment to the transformation of university life.

He also acknowledged the collaborative work of various institutions and units of the UC, such as the Nansen Center, CEDETi, UC Center for Dialogue and Peace, Special Education Program, UC Ombuds Office, among others, and especially the role of the students, protagonists of these experiences.

Promoters of Dialogue: forming communities that converse, listen and transform

The Coordinator of Well-being, Health and Coexistence of the SubDepartment, Francisca Corales, presented the program's itinerary Promoters of Dialogue, a space created to train students capable of facilitating deep, respectful, and transformative conversations.

The program was developed in three modules that addressed fundamentals of dialogue, identity, active listening and understanding of conflict, as well as facilitation practices, roles, neutrality, multipartiality and guided exercises with professional feedback, where students were able to design and execute dialogue spaces in real contexts.

Corales emphasized that the purpose of the program is for dialogue to be not just a technique, but a way of connecting: “You not only acquired tools, you have embodied the essence of dialogue, you have shown the willingness to listen, to understand, to sustain tensions and to open spaces so that others can also express themselves.”

EducaIncluye: inclusion as an ethical conviction and daily practice

The Coordinator of Community, Participation and Inclusion of the SubDe and responsible for EducaIncluye, Javiera DiazHe described the program as a training process that integrates reflection, dialogue, and action.

Its central purpose was to train teachers in educational inclusion strategies, inclusive leadership, universal design of learning, collaborative work, as well as to raise awareness in the university community regarding diversity and the needs of each member.

Díaz emphasized the importance of understanding inclusion as an ethical and everyday practice: “EducaIncluye trains ambassadors of comprehensive inclusion, people who carry with them the conviction that teaching from diversity is teaching from hope. That inclusion is not only taught, but lived.”

Students driving change

For its part, Amanda Canales, former president of the 2025 Center for Students of Pedagogy in Special Education, and Calen DoteFormer Territorial Education Councilor 2024-2025, highlighted the urgency of strengthening teacher training in inclusion and professional responsibility towards the real needs of students in Chile.

Amanda Canales explained how, from her experience as a special education student, she has observed that inclusion often falls on only a few actors in the educational process. She then made an urgent appeal to pedagogy students: "Be fully aware of the enormous responsibility you assume today, to be teachers for all students in the classroom."

For his part, Calen Dote presented the results of a survey applied to more than 120 students of the Faculty, which shows the need for greater preparation to work with students with disabilities, neurodivergence, cultural diversity and gender-sexual dissidence.

Regarding the Dialogue Promoters program, Alexandra Espinoza, a member of the Basic General Pedagogy Student Center, commented that through this experience she was not only able to train at a theoretical level, but also develop very valuable personal skills, which she believes should reach many more people.

“I feel that dialogue is primarily a space of care; it’s about being able to step back for a moment from the position you take and understand how the other person feels,” she said.

Projections 2026: Expanding, deepening, and connecting inclusion

For next year, EducaIncluye will orient its work towards a more holistic approach, encompassing academic, social, emotional, and community dimensions, taking its practice to other faculties, in order to to build networks and share methodologies with various units of the UC.

For its part, Promoters of Dialogue plans to establish itself as a co-curricular activityconsolidating itself as a high-impact training space in supporting students during their training and future teaching work.