As part of its efforts to promote volunteerism, active citizenship, and the well-rounded education of students, the Voluntaria*te program once again incorporated, during the 2025/2026 academic year, the VUELA/FLY International Volunteer Program, offering international volunteer experiences to students at the Braga Campus while also hosting students from partner universities.
VUELA/FLY is an international, intercultural, interdisciplinary, and intensive volunteer program organized by the Jesuit Universities of Spain in partnership with the Portuguese Catholic University. The program brings together the universities of Comillas, Deusto, ESADE, IQS, Loyola, and the Portuguese Catholic University. In 2026, it offered more than 40 projects across 16 countries in the areas of Migrants, People at Risk of Exclusion, and Care for People and the Community.
Two students from Braga are participating in a volunteer project in Brazil
As part of the VUELA/FLY-OUTGOING program, two psychology students from the Braga Campus were selected to participate in the “Vazantes: Faith and Joy” project in Brazil, as part of the two spots made available to the campus.
Participation in this project provided the students with a volunteer experience in an international setting, allowing them to engage directly with a distinct social and cultural reality and to participate in community service and outreach activities. The experience also served as an opportunity for personal, academic, and social learning and growth, contributing to the development of intercultural skills and a greater awareness of different social realities and challenges.
Braga Welcomes International Student Volunteers
The international dimension of VUELA/FLY-INCOMING was also reflected in the hosting, at the Braga Campus, of two student volunteers from the Pontifical University of Comillas, from July 1 to 31, 2026.
In collaboration with the Portuguese Catholic University, the students were integrated into various programs at the Braga Solidarity Center/Projeto Homem, where they participated in support and outreach activities with the local community.
The Braga Solidarity Center/Projeto Homem is a non-profit Private Social Solidarity Institution (IPSS) founded in 1991 by the Archdiocese of Braga. The institution carries out its work in the areas of treatment, prevention, harm reduction, and reintegration of people with addictive behaviors and dependencies, based on a biopsychosocial approach and a perspective that values individual dignity and freedom.
The experience allowed the students to discover a new social reality, deepen their commitment to volunteering and community service, and, at the same time, participate in a context of cultural exchange and mutual learning.
The Braga Campus’s participation in VUELA/FLY—through student mobility for international projects and the hosting of international volunteers—reinforces the international, intercultural, and educational dimensions of Voluntaria*te, providing experiences that combine volunteering, learning, and social responsibility.
