When the Family Educates with the University: Reflections from a Community Outreach Project

Abstract

This essay reflects on the experience of the university outreach project Puentes Familiares para el Futuro (Family Bridges for the Future), promoted by the Department of Outreach and Social Engagement at UNAN-Managua/CUR Estelí, as an educational and community initiative that reaffirms the role of the family as a     co-responsible actor in the educational process when it coordinates efforts with the university. From a humanistic and critical outreach perspective, it analyzes how the family-school-university-community link contributes to strengthening the socio-educational support of secondary and higher education students, positively impacting their academic performance, socio-emotional well-being, and sense of belonging. The essay problematizes the disengagement of families in current educational contexts and highlights university outreach as a transformative strategy that, through workshops, cultural activities, communication actions, and psychosocial support, promotes active participation, the collective construction of values, and social cohesion. In this context, it is argued that when families educate alongside universities, favorable conditions are created for sustainable human development and good living, consolidating university extension programs as an effective bridge between academic knowledge and the social realities of the community.