The Universidade Católica Portuguesa was once again distinguished with the Academia Voluntária 2024 Quality Seal, awarded by CASES - Cooperativa António Sérgio para a Economia Social, on 5 December in Cascais.

This distinction recognises Católica's exceptional work in promoting the practice of volunteering, in line with the objectives of solidarity and active citizenship within higher education in Portugal.

The Academia Voluntária Quality Label aims to highlight higher education institutions that actively promote volunteering activities, increasing the number of volunteers and ensuring the continuity of these practices. As well as recognising the institutions' efforts, this seal also acts as a monitoring and qualification tool, guaranteeing compliance with strict criteria and the existence of validated results.

Among the 16 institutions honoured, the Universidade Católica stood out by receiving the Distinction of Merit, awarded to only 3 institutions. This recognition highlights the work carried out by the teams at Católica that promote volunteering initiatives: CASO - CAtólica SOlidária, Ready to Help, Voluntaria*Te and VIDA - Voluntariado na Católica.

Initiatives that promote not only volunteering, but also civic and solidarity training for their students, while developing important skills. This is the case of Alyse Kaweng Fan, a Master's student in Cultural Studies and VIDA volunteer, who believes that "there is greater joy in giving than in receiving". While volunteering with Projeto Vida, she made friends, but also developed "communication skills and self-confidence".

Also for Maria Leonor dos Santos Esteves, a Management undergraduate student at the Viseu Campus, the experience of volunteering at Ready to Help was "transformative". Maria believes that "this recognition is a reflection of everyone's efforts - students, teachers and partners - and reinforces our commitment to the values of social responsibility and teamwork".

For Margarida Rodrigues Quintas, a student studying Psychology at the Universidade Católica, Braga campus, and a Volunteer at Voluntaria*Te, volunteering is much more than an extracurricular activity "(...) it's the choice to dedicate time and energy in favour of others, without expecting anything in return".

"Deeply enriching", is how Ana Beatriz Sá-Chaves e Costa, a Master's student in Educational Psychology and Human Development at the Porto Campus describes her participation as a volunteer with CASO - Católica Solidária. "I recognise that volunteering has had and continues to have a profound impact on my life, not only because of the chance to contribute to the community, but also because of the personal growth and knowledge of the world it gives me".

With this honour, the Universidade Católica reinforces its role as an agent of change in society, committed to cultivating the value of solidarity and inspiring new generations to actively contribute to a fairer and more inclusive future.