Since last year, a group of University students has been meeting twice a week to create human towers, or castells, in the centre of the squares in the Poblenou and Ciutadella Campuses. Although the UPF Trempats group is only a little over a year old, it already has more than 70 members and they hope to grow a little more.

From Law, Economics, Communication... all bachelor's degree, master's programme and postgraduate students are welcome to join the group. In addition to enjoying and keeping this very Catalan tradition alive, one of its objectives is for members to learn from each other, and as such no previous experience in the world of castells is required.

This group, which is very active on social networks, has become a participant in the university's castells festivals. Although they did not know each other previously, its members have created a friendly atmosphere in which they maintain that integration is very easy.

José Manuel Lopez is studying the bachelor's programme in Translation and Interpretation and was one of the first people to join the Trempats. However, this will be the first year in the group for Chiara Bulgarelli, a student on the bachelor's programme in Advertising and Public Relations, and for Albert Castillo, a student on the bachelor's degree in Labour Relations. However, all three are enjoying the experience to the same extent.

- How did the idea of creating a castells group at the Pompeu come about?

José Manuel (J.M.) - There already was a university group involving members at UPF, but the practice sessions took place in a long way away from our campuses and it was difficult to fit in around the timetables. That's why a couple of students decided to create this group last year. It initially started as a workshop, which only five, six or seven of us attended, but it gradually took off, and now there are seventy of us.

- Did you all have experience in the world of castells before joining the group?

J.M. - Not all of us. I belong to a conventional group, the Castellers de Barcelona, and Albert is in the Castellers de Sants, but Chiara started this year without having any previous experience.

- So, Chiara, why did you decide to join?  

Chiara (C.) - On registration day, the president of the group gave me some information about this activity, and as it was something that always attracted my attention, I decided to join.

- Is it easy to combine your studies with practices and displays?

Albert (A.) - Yes, especially if you study in the mornings. If you go in the afternoons it's a bit more difficult, but you can still combine them well. The practice sessions normally take place at lunchtime, so if you come out at two and go back in at three, you have a little while to do it. The most difficult day is perhaps Wednesday, when we practice from three to five, but it isn't usually difficult.

- Where do you do the practice sessions?

C. - On Mondays, we practice on the Poblenou campus and on the Ciutadella campus on Wednesdays. But for example, next week we will be doing a roving practice session on the Mar campus.

- Does practicing on campus in front of your peers put you under any pressure?

C. - No, I think the opposite is true. We practice on campus so that everyone can see us and so that anyone who wants to can join in and do castells.

- Are you trying to get international students to join in?

J.M. - Yes. In fact, last year we did a couple of workshops with students from the UPF Language Volunteering programme and they spent a few weeks with us. Now we're talking to the Volunteering programme again about doing another workshop to get people interested in joining the group, even if it's just for a year or for only six months. It's still a way of showing Catalan culture.

- Once the current members of the group have finished their studies, do you think that the project will carry on?

A.- I think so, because a lot of new people are joining, if they're in their first year they still have four years ahead of them. What's more, more and more people are joining all the time, so I think that in a couple of years' time they'll be quite a few more than seventy of us keeping the project alive.

-  What are your objectives as a castells group?

J.M. - The idea is that this season we manage to do the four in six, the three in six with a needle, the tower of five, pillars of four and five and if possible, the five in six.

- In recent weeks, you've had a contest to choose the group's badge. How have people responded? 

J.M. - Not bad at all! We received twenty suggestions, even from people at other universities or who aren't even a student any more. A jury chose three designs as the finalists, and we then chose the winner based on a vote by the entire group.

- And finally, why "Trempats"?

J.M. - We were looking for a name and seeing has how by tradition, university groups always have names that are a bit lively and fun, we also did a contest. We received many suggestions, but we took a vote and this is the one we liked the most.