“Capacitar para Salvar”, an extension project that is part of the Católica Nursing Centre (CEC) at the School of Nursing (Lisbon) of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, has been selected for inclusion in the European Online Repository of Good Practices, developed as part of the Erasmus+ project Service-Learning to Promote Competences for Democratic Culture (SL4DC).

The selection process involved the assessment of 68 Service-Learning initiatives from 45 higher education institutions across 12 European countries. Of these, a panel of experts selected 40 good practices, taking into account the connection between Service-Learning (SL) and the development of competences for democratic culture.

The selection of “Capacitar para Salvar”, coordinated by Antonio Borges, highlights the project’s contribution to bringing together academic learning, community engagement, social responsibility and civic participation.

Beyond providing knowledge and developing skills to respond to emergency situations, the project seeks to foster a culture of readiness, solidarity and commitment to the common good.

This recognition forms part of a broader process of institutionalising Service-Learning at Universidade Católica, which began in 2020 with the CApS – Católica Aprendizagem-Serviço project. This distinction also provides an incentive to continue strengthening the University’s ties with the community and transforming knowledge into social impact. Over recent years, this methodology has been progressively integrated into the University’s strategy, policies and practices, involving all four campuses and strengthening the connection between academic learning, social engagement and responses to the concrete needs of communities.