In February, the European University Alliance ACE²-EU launched the international volunteer programme ACE_RISE (Reach, Inspire, Serve, Engage), which aims to strengthen students’ civic engagement, solidarity, and social responsibility across Europe. The programme has been developed by the SPACE Centre team in cooperation with partners, offering an opportunity to engage in meaningful volunteer work in an international environment.
The first call for applications has concluded successfully – students have been selected both for mobility placements abroad and for involvement in the activities of local partner organisations.
We are announcing the second call for volunteer activities, which will run from the beginning of June through the end of the year. Applications will be open until 15 April.
Overall, more than 70 volunteering opportunities are available to Alliance students throughout the year across various fields – including social care, culture and creative industries, education, public administration, and others. Each activity includes an eight-day international mobility.
Programme Structure and Methodology
The ACE_RISE Volunteer Programmes consist of two core components:
1. ACE_RISE MOOC (25 hours): Before mobility, students must complete a 25-hour Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), delivered asynchronously. The course introduces participants to the aims of volunteer work, solidarity, social responsibility and communication.The MOOC includes general information about the course and five modules:
- Volunteering begins with shared values
- The world needs solidarity-minded humans
- What it means to be a volunteer
- Our social responsibility grows with knowledge
- Empathy speaks through how we communicate
2. On-site Volunteer Activity (8 days): Students participate in an in-person volunteering period in a host country. Tasks are defined by the hosting organisation, and participants are accompanied by a supervisor. Working hours follow the legislation of the host country. Students receive a grant for the 8-day mobility period.
Registration
Students from all ACE²-EU Alliance universities can register for the volunteering activities via the registration link: https://forms.gle/pFaxKcK9KeU5UMgHA.
The list of volunteer activities and their full descriptions is available in the digital catalogue: https://www.ace2eu.eu/ace-rise/.
The registration deadline for volunteering activities from the beginning of June through the end of the year is 15 April.
Certification
Upon successful completion of the programme (MOOC + volunteering mobility), participants will receive 2 ECTS credits. The certificate will include the course title, learning outcomes, developed competencies, and duration.
For questions related to the ACE_RISE Volunteer Programmes, please contact:
Mafalda Pacheco Ferreira, IPSantarém | mafalda.ferreira@esa.ipsantarem.pt
Paula Pinto, IPSantarém | paula.pinto@esa.ipsantarem.pt