Universidade Católica Marks International Volunteer Day in Porto
2025
Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto marked International Volunteer Day with a photo exhibition of CASO volunteers, which highlighted the various areas in which students carry out volunteering activities. This initiative was promoted by UDIP - Unit for the Integral Development of the Person and CASO – Católica Solidária.
In addition to the photo exhibition, the UCP4SUCCESS project joined UDIP and CASO by displaying 4 big questions inviting the academic community to reflect on the value and transformative impact of volunteering. Students were challenged to imagine possible volunteering missions and projects, both national and international, and to think about the reasons why this practice is important. The answers revealed diverse and deeply meaningful horizons. Some imagined international missions, such as teaching English in Zanzibar, supporting children in Cape Verde or taking part in women’s empowerment programmes in Africa. Others envisaged national initiatives with great social impact, such as associations for the reintegration of former drug addicts, shelters for victims of domestic violence or projects supporting isolated older people.
This event was framed by the view that volunteering is not limited to one-off acts of solidarity, but is a true philosophy of relationship. Active participation translates into building social ties, promoting citizenship and integrating shared values.
When challenged to invite someone to volunteer, students highlighted the transformative power of small gestures, the richness of coming into contact with different realities and the responsibility of using opportunities to support those who have not had them.
Personal growth and collective transformation
When reflecting on the value of volunteering, participants stressed its role in personal growth, acquiring skills and fulfilment, recalling that “you gain more than you give” and that, even without changing the whole world, it is possible to change someone’s world.
This mosaic of perspectives shows that volunteering is both an individual project and a collective experience. By sharing dreams, arguments and proposals, students strengthen their sense of belonging and consolidate their academic and social integration, making it clear that volunteering is a transformative practice: it creates community, strengthens bonds and gives shape to a more humane, inclusive and supportive university.
