ACE_RISE Reach, Inspire, Serve, Engage

Social Impactors & Culture Hub Volunteer Programmes

SUMMARY and testimonials from the first ACE²-EU volunteers

The ACE_RISE Volunteer Programmes were launched on the beginning of 2026. The Volunteer Programmes were co-designed with stakeholders and ACE²-EU alliance experts, linking academic knowledge to real-world, evidence-informed action. Its dual structure—Social Impactors and Culture Hub—supports both societal engagement and intercultural competence, tackling critical issues related to multiculturalism, interculturality, inclusion, equality and wellbeing.

As part of these programmes, students complete a MOOC on social responsibility, shared values, and communication, ensuring a common ethical foundation and the skills needed for effective and responsible engagement across diverse contexts. After completion of the whole programme, the MOOC plus the volunteering week, the students are awarded a 2 ECTS certificate, ensuring the recognition of learning and skills development.

Overall, 42 different volunteering activities are available for students’ engagement across the ACE²-EU universities and collaborating organizations. From 175 applications, 60 ACE²-EU students were selected for volunteering activities running from April till December 2026.

The first volunteering activities occurred in April, at Polytechnic University of Santarém, in Portugal, and at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, in Austria. The main challenges the volunteers faced were related to communication and stepping out of their comfort zone. All of them successfully coped with it and shared some valuable aspects they gained from participating in the ACE_RISE Volunteer Programme:

• Become more open-minded and understand people from different perspectives;
• Being more grateful for the small things in our daily life;
• Building connections despite language barriers.
• Improved confidence and communication skills; became more confident in interacting with people from different backgrounds and learned how to work in a diverse team;
• Being more solidary by landing a helping hand wherever was needed; sometimes by merely bring a smile to everyone.

MORE DETAILED INFORMATION

1. Objectives

The goal of the ACE_RISE Social Impactors Volunteer Programme is to address major challenges in society and may be implemented in any of our Social Impactor thematic areas listed below:

• Health & well-being
• Inclusion & multiculturalism
• Dignity & respect
• Gender equality

The goal of the ACE_RISE Culture Hub Volunteer Programme is to offer volunteering activities for the students to engage in cultural activities with and in external stakeholder environments.

ACE_RISE sees volunteering not just as an act of service, but as a strategic and transformative process. It helps articulate how student engagement in voluntary service leads to meaningful personal development and contributes to long-term social and cultural impact. Through engagement in ACE_RISE volunteer programmes, we expect that volunteers:

o          develop empathy and social responsibility;

o          improve intercultural competence;

o          strengthen the capacity of institutions;

o          foster meaningful relationships across cultures and generations;

o          promote active citizenship and ethical awareness.

2. Event Short Description

In 2026 42 different volunteering activities are available for student enrolment across theACE²-EU Alliance, as shown in the tables below

Scheduled Volunteering Activities by month for Culture Hub Volunteer Programmes for 2026

Month	Starting day	Title	Hosting University/Stakeholder/Country
3	28	Costume Workshop OUT OF THE BOX III (Yong People)	THI/Youth art school Kunst und Kultur Bastei
4	7	Wörthersee Gravel Race – UCI Gravel World Series	CUAS/Pedal Performance Group GmbH
4	19	Reviving Forgotten Heritage	GDU/Stip Local government
4	13	Past with History	IPS/SCMS
4	13	Cultures in Connection	IPS/UTIS
5	25	Event Coordinator Assistant	LAC/Lastadija Cultural Quarter
5	10	Museum of the Second World War_ European Night of Museums	MUG/Museum of Second Worl war
6	29	Gallery assistant	LAC/art gallery “Tur telpa”
6	21	Museum of the Second World War_Conservation Department	MUG/Museum of Second Worl war
6	21	Museum of the Second World War_Eyewitness Histories I	MUG/Museum of Second Worl war
6	1	Change yourself to change the world (disabled, homeless, socially vulnerable people)	UFV/Fundación Altius – Cesal – Cottolengo
7	13	Youth Culture Summer (art with teenagers)	THI/Stadtjugendring Ingolstadt
7	6	Cultural Roots & Community Impact: Volunteering Programme in Polovragi	UCB/Polovragi Town Hall
7	6	Together Without Barriers: Cultural, Artistic & Sports Volunteering with People with Disabilities	UCB/Christian Day Centre
7	6	Brâncuși Connect: Cultural Heritage & Creative Exchange Volunteering Programme (Community)	UCB/Centrul Brâncuși
7	6	Urban Canvas: Community Art & Cultural Volunteering in Târgu Jiu	UCB/“Constantin Brăiloiu” High School of Arts
8	24	Event Coordinator Assistant	LAC/Cultural Quarter Paraugtipogrāfija
8	10	Contemporary circus and street art festival RE RĪGA!	LAC/NGO “Pievilcīgas pilsētvides biedrība”
8	10	Gallery assistant	LAC/art gallery “Tur telpa”
8	28	Culture unites, not divides	LIK/Cultural center of Samylai eldership)
8	31	Holiday Programme: Stage UP! Musical Workshop (Children)	THI/Youth Education Centre Stadtjugendring Ingolstadt
9	13	Museum of the Second World War_Eyewitness Histories II	MUG/Museum of Second Worl war
9	15	Carinthia 200 road cycling	CUAS/Pedal Performance Group GmbH
10	19	Gallery assistant	LAC/art gallery “Tur telpa”

Scheduled Volunteering Activities by month for Social Impactors Volunteer Programmes for 2026

Month	Starting day	Title	Hosting University/Stakeholder
4	19	Reviving Forgotten Heritage	GDU/Stip Local government
4	13	Let’s Bring Life	IPS/SCMS
4	13	Volunteer for Senior Wellness and Engagement Activities	LAC/Samaritan Organization of Latvia
5	10	Activism in Practice: Queer Community Volunteer Experience	LAC/Active Rainbow Biedrība
5	11	You are not alone in your suffering	LIK/Kaunas Hospice home
5	26	Holiday Programme: Hut Village (Children)	THI/Youth Education Centre Stadtjugendring Ingolstadt
6	1	Change yourself to change the world (disabled, homeless, socially vulnerable people)	UFV/Fundación Altius – Cesal – Cottolengo
7	6	Colors, Rhythm and Smiles – A Chance for Every Child” (Summer School, children)	UCB/Centrul Școlar pentru Educație Incluzivă Târgu Jiu
7	6	Health, Prevention and Solidarity: Community – Red Cross Gorj (health community)	UCB/National Society of Red Cross in Romania
7	6	Together Without Barriers: Cultural, Artistic & Sports Volunteering with People with Disabilities	UCB/Christian Day Centre
7	6	Creative Futures: Arts, Sports & Technology  (Children)	UCB/Palatul Copiilor Târgu Jiu
7	6	Volunteering for Life: Community Support and Emergency Education	UCB/Gorj County Ambulance Service
8	16	Historical Bike Tour	MUG/Museum of Second Worl war
8	31	Holiday Programme: Stage UP! Musical Workshop (Children)	THI/Youth Education Centre Stadtjugendring Ingolstadt
8	10	Holiday Programme: Expedition Nature – Dirty but Happy (Children)	THI/Youth Education Centre Stadtjugendring Ingolstadt
11	16	You are not alone in your suffering	LIK/Kaunas Hospice home
All Year		Social care activities at District Nursing Homes/ Tigring Nursing Home-	CUAS/ Sozialhilfeverband Klagenfurt-Land
All Year		Social care activities at District Nursing Homes/ Ferlach/Rosental Nursing Home	CUAS/ Sozialhilfeverband Klagenfurt-Land

3. Structure & Methodology

The overall structure of ACE²-EU Volunteer Programmes includes:

• A 25-hour Massive Online Open Course (MOOC ACE_RISE, Reach, Inspire, Serve, Engage), which aims to prepare ACE²-EU Students for meaningful volunteer work. It is structured in 1 introductory module and 5 asynchronous contact self-learning modules:
• Welcome module;
• #1 Volunteering begins with shared values;
• #2 The world needs solidarity-minded humans;
• #3 What does it mean to be a volunteer?
• #4 Our social responsibility grows with knowledge.
• #5 Empathy speaks through how we communicate.

All learning modules are assessed by one or two assignments that must be submitted and a quiz with automated feedback of approval or non-approval of answers (progress is dependent on achieving at least 50% correct answers).

• An in person live Volunteer Activity Time period, where the volunteer student will be working on the tasks defined by the Volunteering Activity. The student will be introduced to the tasks on the first day of the volunteering work and throughout the volunteering period where appropriate is accompanied by a supervisor of the entity where the volunteering service takes place. The working hours attributed to the volunteering activity will be defined by the volunteer provider, according to the legislation of the host country.

Social Impactors & Culture Hub Volunteer Programmes
1) Online training
The students enroll in a 25H Massive Online Open Course (MOOC ACE_RISE) and finish all modules before their mobility commences.
2)Volunteer Activity Time period
Day 1	Welcome with group or tutorial activities, either in the hosting University, or the organization where the volunteer activities will take place, or both. Complete initial surveys.
Days 2 to 7	Volunteering Work as defined by Volunteering Activity. (b)
Day 8	Closing day with assessment, celebration and certificates. Complete the final survey. (c)

Notes:

(a) This structure is flexible and may be adapted according to the needs of the hosting university and entities where the students are placed.

(b) The maximum working hours are defined by the organization and should not exceed what is defined in legislation.

(c) Students may extend their volunteer experience at their own expense.

4. Certification

Upon successful completion of the ACE_RISE Volunteer Programme each volunteer student will receive an electronic certificate issued by WP2 (APP Factory, Applied Programmes and Pedagogy Factory) awarding a total of 2 ECTS (1 ECTS for the MOOC and 1 ECTS for the live in person volunteer experience).

 

 This form was completed by Paula Pinto, the WP4 co-leader and Coordinator of Volunteer Programmes, and approved in sub-strand meeting in 15^th of May, 2026.