As part of the U.Porto Social Responsibility Unit (URS), the main mission of the U.Porto Solidarity Centre (UP Solidarity) is to:
- Engage with the academic and civil community
- Raise awareness of volunteering practices and strengthen partnerships
Promote a culture of solidarity and strengthen volunteering, with the aim of enriching the academic experience of members of the University of Porto community.
To promote solidarity towards a greater culture of volunteering and citizenship in Portugal and around the world, offering support to organisations and initiatives that are socially relevant and in line with the University's values and objectives.
The U.Porto Solidarity Centre aims to contribute to increasing the internal and external visibility of volunteering and pro bono work at the University of Porto (U.Porto), with the aim of having an organised structure to support all volunteer work, bringing together the different actors and areas of intervention.
Volunteering at U.Porto implies, for both the host organisations and the volunteers, the acceptance of a commitment in accordance with the principles followed by U.Porto, as defined in the U.Porto Volunteering Framework Principles.
Volunteering is open to students, former students (alumni), teaching and non-teaching staff, retired or in retirement, who wish to engage in multiple volunteering activities on a free and totally voluntary basis.
It is understood that genuine volunteering should be undertaken without any expectation of remuneration. However, it is considered appropriate, especially for students, to certify the exercise of voluntary activities duly recognised by the University of Porto, in particular through the appropriate mention in the Diploma Supplement, provided that the criteria required by the current Rectoral Decree (Rectoral Decree n. GR.07/01/2023) are met.