13 MAR 2026 - 19:09 CET

On March 9 and 10, 2026 DRLab hosted an international seminar at the Faculty of Social Work devoted to community mediation and strategies for intervention in contexts of social vulnerability. The event brought together students, university faculty, practitioners, and community mediators.

The seminar began on Monday, March 9, with a visit to Cañada Real, organized in collaboration with the Fundación Secretariado Gitano and Asociación Barró. During the visit, participants had the opportunity to learn first-hand about the work carried out by these organizations in the area and took part in a meeting with community mediators, who shared their professional experiences and reflected on the challenges and lessons involved in social intervention in vulnerable contexts.

The academic session on Tuesday, March 10, addressed the concepts of stigma, vulnerability, and community, presented by Kristen Gurdak, from Florida Atlantic University (Florida, USA), and Sara Zamorano, from the Chair against Stigma at Complutense University of Madrid.

This was followed by a panel on community mediation experiences, featuring Mara Morelli (University of Genova), Danilo De Luis (San Marchelino, Italy), Aura Morales (Asociación Barró, Spain), and Laura Gil (Fundación Secretariado Gitano, Spain). The speakers shared practical experiences of mediation in community settings and discussed intervention strategies in complex social environments.

Finally, the photovoice projects created by community mediators were presented. These visual narratives showcased the mediators’ daily work and aimed to build a collective narrative about their professional experiences and the social realities in which they operate.

The seminar created an important space for dialogue and exchange between academia, practitioners, and social organizations, highlighting the relevance of community mediation and situated knowledge in understanding and addressing contemporary social challenges.