Católica students prepare for international volunteer missions with training in Spain
Students from the Braga, Lisbon and Porto campuses of Universidade Católica Portuguesa will be going on volunteer missions this summer to Spain, Italy and Brazil as part of the FLY programme, the international volunteer programme promoted by the UNIJES universities and the Universidade Católica Portuguesa. To prepare for their volunteering missions, the 11 students from Universidade Católica took part in a training meeting at Casa San José in El Escorial, Spain, attended by 170 university students from all over the world.
The meeting, which took place from 4 to 6 April, was an opportunity for the groups taking part in each project to get to know each other, deepen their understanding of the meaning and functioning of the programme and reflect on the essential elements of any volunteering experience: personal boundaries, a safe environment, and the keys to an attitude of listening, respect, and service. One of the highlights of the meeting was the talk by development and human rights expert Gonzalo Fanjul, who offered an insightful look at the structural causes of poverty and exclusion in the world, opening an in-depth dialogue with the participants.
The organising team, made up of people from all the universities involved, gave a very positive assessment of the atmosphere during these days: "We leave with the hope that these experiences will help students grow as people who are aware, committed and open to the world," they said.
Fly is an initiative that offers university students the chance to experience volunteering with people in vulnerable situations. The projects are carried out both in Spain and Portugal (in social work with people at risk of exclusion, young people, migrants...), and in other international contexts: Melilla, Tangier, El Aaiún, Honduras, Guatemala, Nepal, Kenya and Brazil.
In this training meeting, through various dynamics, moments of reflection and socialising, the students were able to strengthen the trust between them and the team spirit that will be fundamental in each destination.