{"id":603,"date":"2025-11-07T16:48:38","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T14:48:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/?page_id=603"},"modified":"2025-11-09T10:20:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T08:20:06","slug":"1-3-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/1-3-1\/","title":{"rendered":"1.3.1"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Social Responsibility and Poverty Reduction Policy<\/h3>\n<p>The University of Thessaly (UTh) recognizes the essential role of higher education in addressing poverty, social exclusion, and inequality, reaffirming its mission as a public institution that promotes knowledge, equity, and sustainable development. The University is committed to ensuring equitable access to education, supporting vulnerable populations, and contributing actively to the social and economic advancement of local and international communities. This policy defines the University\u2019s approach to combating poverty and promoting social inclusion through education, research, community engagement, and institutional responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>The University bases this policy on the principles of equity, inclusion, and sustainable development. It guarantees that all qualified individuals, regardless of socio-economic status, have the right to access and complete higher education. It values diversity and fosters the participation of students from under-represented or low-income backgrounds. Through research, teaching, and partnerships, the University aims to generate knowledge that reduces inequality, empowers communities, and contributes to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (particularly SDG 1 \u201cNo Poverty\u201d and SDG 10 \u201cReduced Inequalities\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>The University coordinates institutional initiatives aimed at addressing the multifaceted nature of poverty, including support of students\u2019 basic needs, social well-being, and equal opportunities. Faculties and departments are encouraged to integrate community-based learning, outreach, and social innovation projects into their academic activities.<\/p>\n<p>Key initiatives include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Financial support of students in need:<\/strong> UTH demonstrates its dedication to breaking financial barriers through diverse financial aid programs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Scholarships for financially disadvantaged students:<\/strong> UTH strives to raise funds for scholarships with socio-economic criteria to support financially disadvantaged students in their efforts to access quality education, in particular as regards PhD candidates.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Housing assistance: <\/strong>Financially disadvantaged students at UTH benefit from free accommodation in the university residences of the University of Thessaly.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Food security programs:<\/strong> Financially disadvantaged students at UTH benefit from full lodging at the university restaurants of the University of Thessaly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Empowerment:<\/strong> Programs dealing with <strong>community service &amp; engagement <\/strong>equip students with life skills, foster leadership, and encourage active community involvement, contributing to personal and societal growth. Staff and students are invited to participate to volunteer programs and collaborations with municipalities, NGOs, and civil society groups that promote social wellbeing and sustainable livelihoods.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Emergency Financial Aid Scholarships:<\/strong> Established (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to support students during crises such as the war in the Ukraine, which ensures continued access to education during times of hardship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Implementation of the above initiatives includes tuition support schemes for financially vulnerable students, targeted research on poverty and inequality, and continuous partnerships with public and private entities to deliver community services. The University also commits to monitoring social impact indicators and publishing results in its annual Sustainability Report, ensuring transparency and accountability to the public.<\/p>\n<p>This policy is reviewed every three years by the Quality Assurance Unit (MODIP). It aligns with Greek Law 4957\/2022 on Higher Education, the European Pillar of Social Rights (2017), and the University of Thessaly\u2019s Strategic Plan on Sustainability and Social Responsibility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Social Responsibility and Poverty Reduction Policy The University of Thessaly (UTh) recognizes the essential role of higher education in addressing poverty, social exclusion, and inequality, reaffirming its mission as a public institution that promotes knowledge, equity, and sustainable development. The University is committed to ensuring equitable access to education, supporting vulnerable populations, and contributing actively [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-603","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=603"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1465,"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/603\/revisions\/1465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}