Universidade Católica Portuguesa and the Scholas Occurrentes Portugal association have formalized a cooperation agreement to develop joint projects, carry out training activities, and promote volunteer initiatives.
According to the President of Universidade Católica, Isabel Capeloa Gil, the goal is to further strengthen the project of having “a more inclusive education, which brings together different pedagogical models that are closer to people and different groups and also structures intergenerational models.”
“It is an honor and a privilege to work with the Universidade Católica,” said the president of Scholas Portugal, Nuno Ribeiro Ferreira, at the signing ceremony for the agreement, adding that he wants to “make a difference among students.”
Scholas Occurrentes is an international educational movement, inspired and promoted by Pope Francis, with a presence in 70 countries and involving 4,460 educational institutions. Its mission is to stimulate a culture of encounter and create a network of schools for inclusion, improving education and community integration through educational, sporting, and artistic initiatives.
Its lines of action include awareness campaigns on values, the development of integration programs for children and young people, support for educational projects in vulnerable situations, and the promotion and connection of schools and educational networks of all cultures, beliefs, and modalities around the world.
Among the initiatives developed by Católica and Scholas are, for example, the training of students and volunteers within the scope of the VIDA project, participation in the “Estar juntos Cascais” program, the training of missionaries, and the implementation of the “Estas juntos Lisboa” program, to be carried out at the Social and Parish Center of S. Jorge de Arroios.
The VIDA project, promoted by the Office of Social Responsibility and the Chaplaincy, is aimed at students of all levels of education at the Universidade Católica, with the aim of providing them with volunteer opportunities that contribute to the community.
