The commitment to research, social outreach, and community well-being at Fundación Universitaria María Cano, Neiva campus, continues to cross borders. The Investigadores del Futuro research group achieved the publication of a book chapter resulting from years of work with children and adolescents from Comuna 3 in the city.

The academic contribution, titled “Sports Training School: Learning Through Play”, is part of the book derived from the III Congress of the Spanish Network of Health-Promoting Universities (REUPS), an international publication led by the University of Málaga and the REUPS academic network. The publication aims to showcase experiences and research related to health promotion and well-being in educational and community settings.

This achievement represents an important recognition of the institution’s research and social outreach efforts, highlighting initiatives developed within local communities and focused on transforming vulnerable contexts through educational, sports-based, and community support strategies.

The project has been led over the past four years by professor Viviana Caicedo Delgado together with students from the research group, who have worked with communities located along the Las Ceibas River area, promoting healthy lifestyles, mental health strengthening, and well-being spaces for children and adolescents.

Beyond academic production, this initiative demonstrates how university research can become a tool for social transformation by connecting knowledge, human sensitivity, and community engagement to address real territorial needs.

Participation in this international publication also positions the experiences developed in Neiva as references within the movement of health-promoting universities, strengthening the exchange of knowledge and best practices at an international level.

Through this achievement, Fundación Universitaria María Cano reaffirms its commitment to generating socially impactful knowledge, strengthening research processes, and educating students committed to the well-being and transformation of communities.

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