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Impact - Diversity

FEUP promotes inclusion, tolerance and cultural interaction by valuing socio-cultural, religious and gender diversity.

A group of students jumping for fun on the pedestrian bridge with the surrounding green area and the Luís Falcão Sports Pavilion.

Diversity, Inclusion and Interculturality

Recognising that cultural heterogeneity is not just about ethnic or linguistic indicators, we propose to look at diversity at FEUP through multiplicity in relation to ethnic and religious subcultures and in relation to gender, among other identity factors.

Multiculturalism implies inclusion, mutual tolerance and cultural interaction where heterogeneity and diversity do not overlap. In the university context, it means understanding a system of beliefs and behaviours, recognising and respecting the presence of different groups, valuing their socio-cultural differences and encouraging their continued contribution. In this sense, we promote an inclusive cultural context that empowers everyone involved.

When analysing the word interculturality, it is understood that the prefix inter implies a greater interaction of cultures. This means that interculturality can also arise from contacts at a distance. Valuing cultural diversity means moving from coexistence to coexistence, in other words, from multiculturalism to interculturalism.

As an institution founded on reason, the university is a place of knowledge and plurality. However, it is also a place of abstractions: in addition to artistic manifestations, philosophical, spiritual and religious manifestations are part of everyday extracurricular life. Therefore, we believe that FEUP should be a space of freedom that promotes spiritual growth, regardless of creed or cult. Whether it's through religion, philosophy or any other area or belief you have as a human being, it is fundamental to give students the freedom to exercise their beliefs, values and personal goals.

Gender equality and LGBT+

Gender is one of the first and most influential categories used to describe individuals and social life.

Gender issues are linked to issues of inequality and power in societies, usually defined as the differences in status, power and prestige that men and women acquire in groups.

Achieving effective equality for LGBT+ people regardless of gender is a shared responsibility. Recognition and respect for sexual orientation and gender identity is part of what we mean by human rights. Everyone has the right to live in dignity and freedom from violence, and the university context is a space where people spend a lot of time.

We want to ensure that equality and non-discrimination are real and effective for everyone at FEUP, so that the coexistence, well-being, academic success and personal and professional development of men, women, non-binary genders and regardless of sexual orientation are not compromised.

FEUP aims to create a safe environment for the university community to interact in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity. Although prejudice may be unconscious, without the intention to discriminate explicitly, we cannot allow it to become naturalised, either individually or collectively. The aim is to prevent, detect and not tolerate any form of discrimination, forced invisibility, rumours and offensive comments that disrupt the environment and community that lives in our Faculty.

Students with stacked hands, symbolising interculturality.

Intercultural Contact Point (iPoint) FEUP

iPoint focuses its activities on the reception and integration of international Masters and PhD students and promotes the integration of all students in a diverse and healthy academic environment. Identity, both individual and collective, is multiple, changing, incomplete and constantly evolving. The project aims to promote the principles of equality, rights, values and skills, actively encouraging interaction, collaboration and intercultural exchange.

The Intercultural Contact Point aims to be a point of contact, ensuring a dynamic vision of cultures, valuing communication in everyday relationships and promoting the construction of equal citizenship.

Contacts: [email protected]

Social Responsibility Commission

The aim of the Social Responsibility Commission is to contribute to the well-being of the FEUP community, its social environment and global society, anticipating and contributing to paradigm shifts in society and the quality of life of citizens. Some of the aspects of the project are

  • Responding to identified material needs;
  • Contributing to the better integration of all students, supporting their academic performance and meeting their needs;
  • Contributing to the improvement of living conditions at FEUP;
  • Promoting greater identification between the academic environment and the needs of society, in particular through better training for citizenship;
  • Promote a spirit of solidarity in the university environment and develop a greater awareness of the social responsibility of FEUP's activities.

Contacts: [email protected]