On 27 October, in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Universidade Católica Portuguesa received the 1st Uniservitate Award for Programmes to Institutionalise Service-Learning, presented for the Southern Europe region. The award was presented as part of the VII Global Symposium Uniservitate, which brought together representatives from higher education institutions across various countries to reflect on the role of service-learning in higher education.
Present at the award ceremony were Isabel Vasconcelos, Vice-Rector for Teaching and Pedagogical Innovation at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Luísa Mota Ribeiro, national coordinator for CApS – Católica Aprendizagem-Serviço, and Rita Paiva e Pona and Sara Serra, who are part of the project’s coordination team.
The VII Global Symposium Uniservitate, held on 26 and 27 October, took place under the motto "Designing Maps of Hope Through Service-Learning". Organised by Uniservitate, in collaboration with LUMSA University, the event provided an international forum for sharing experiences, research and reflection on the integration of Service-Learning into higher education institutions, with particular emphasis on its contribution to a holistic education committed to solidarity and the common good.
The award received by Católica forms part of a new category of the Uniservitate Awards, created in 2026 to recognise programmes that demonstrate a consistent track record of institutionalising Service-Learning through its integration into the policies, educational practices and mission of Catholic higher education institutions.
According to data released by Uniservitate, the programme developed by Católica since 2020 comprises 154 Service-Learning projects, involving 2,930 students, 86 lecturers and 250 community partners, reaching 110,772 beneficiaries.
This international recognition highlights the collective work carried out over the last six years by lecturers, students, staff and partner institutions, who have helped to consolidate Service-Learning as a pedagogical methodology that links academic knowledge with addressing the practical needs of society. “It was an honour and a privilege to receive this international recognition, which greatly encourages us to continue the work we have been carrying out,” says Luísa Mota Ribeiro.
This distinction takes on particular significance at a time when the Universidade Católica Portuguesa is reaffirming, in its Strategic Development Plan 2026–2030, its commitment to further embedding Service-Learning, thereby strengthening its contribution to the holistic education of students and to its mission of serving society.
