CASO celebrates year of volunteering and community impact
Another year of volunteering by the CAtólica SOlidária (CASO) has come to an end, with 400 student volunteers in regular, occasional and international experiences in different partner institutions.
Carmo Themudo, coordinator of UCP's Unit for the Integral Development of the Person, emphasises that "It is with great satisfaction and pride that we end another year full of learning, consolidated partnerships and social impact, grateful for every moment shared and motivated to continue building bridges between the academy and the community through the volunteering that moves us so much."
"I'm delighted to see volunteering growing, this year the number of regular volunteers has increased by 40 per cent, which demonstrates the students' greater involvement in volunteering and their commitment to actively contributing to the community," says Constança Barbosa, CASO's coordinator.
To round off the year and allow reflection on the importance of volunteering, CASO, Católica Porto's volunteer centre, organised two events for volunteers and partner institutions.
The volunteers gathered at the Final Meeting on 20 May for a peddy paper around the university. Through crossword puzzles, a quiz and different team dynamics, the volunteers were able to reflect on the happiest and most challenging moments in volunteering, and they were also able to discuss suggestions and dynamics for the future. It was a meeting that strengthened the bonds between volunteers and allowed them to share experiences.
"The experience of volunteering at CASO had a big impact on me, both personally and academically. I learnt to value teamwork and active listening more, I developed empathy for different social realities, and I became more aware of my role as a citizen. It also helped me to grow in responsibility and to feel that I can make a concrete contribution to change in the community," shared Joana Mariano, a student at Católica Porto Business School and a volunteer in the Ser + Especial area.
On 5 June, the closing session of the year was held with the partner institutions. The session included an informal moment with Professor Robert Bringel, a specialist in the Service-Learning methodology, to reflect on the challenges and opportunities of this methodology. Filipe Pinto, faculty member of Universidade Católica and head of the Transversal Area of Social Economy, gave a presentation entitled "Evaluating for Growth: Social Impact as a Driver of Development", with the aim of helping partners better understand how to evaluate the impact of the activities they carry out.
During the meeting with the partner institutions, the main figures, the main activities carried out and the evaluation of the voluntary work carried out by the student volunteers were also highlighted. Also present at the event were Isabel Braga da Cruz, pro-rector of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, and Marta Vasconcelos, member of the Executive Team of the Porto Regional Centre.
With this initiative, CASO formally closes its academic year of activities, although it is still preparing to send volunteers to the FLY and GAS'África international volunteering programmes, which will take place in July and August.