"What is going to change and what is our role as young people in the society we live in?": this is the theme that will guide Tomorrow Summit2022, in the year in which we celebrate the European Year of Youth. The event will take place on 10th and 11th November, at the Alfândega do Porto Congress Centre, and is free participation. The Porto Regional Centre will participate, for the fifth consecutive year, in an event that is organised by the Academic Federation of Porto.

The conference will feature speakers from business, government and academia. Manuela Pintado, researcher and director of the Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry Centre, will participate in the panel "The impact of technology on sustainable food systems".

"The 5th Edition of the Tomorrow Summit will be a generator of dreams and projects so that the future is a product of talent and knowledge and not just a fluke. After all, we young people wish to be the change we want to see in the world and not just spectators of a future that when it is not prepared turns out to be bleak," states the event's organisation.

The aim of this event has been to lead the discussion for "tomorrow". Leading the new generations to seize their future and set the innovation agenda are the main premises. At the Tomorrow Summit, participants will find an ecosystem of innovation, research and technology, through a platform for participation, collaboration and learning, and a unique opportunity, with truly empowering conditions, to bring your ideas to life!

The Universidade Católica will also be present at the Tomorrow Room, in a space that focuses on contact between academia, business and students to share knowledge.

In the 2021 edition, Isabel Braga da Cruz, Pro-Rector of the Universidade Católica, was a speaker on the panel "Social innovation as a driver for the reduction of regional asymmetries." Being a partner of the event for the fifth consecutive year, the Porto Regional Centre intends to contribute to the discussion of the future, to the promotion of dialogue and to the sharing of knowledge.  

See the Tomorrow Summit agenda

A group of volunteers from the VIDA project - Volunteering at Católica - participated in the collection of goods for the Apoio à Vida institution on 13 October.

The collection of basic goods for babies took place in the Auchan Amoreiras supermarket in Lisbon, with the help of six volunteers from the VIDA project. The products collected are intended for the babies of the mothers supported by the institution.

Apoio à Vida is one of the partners of the VIDA project and develops its activities in the area of support for pregnant women in difficulty at all levels (psychological, social, educational and labour market integration).

The VIDA project is aimed at students at all levels of education on the Católica headquarters campus who wish to do voluntary work. The volunteer activities available are as varied as the partner institutions themselves, ranging from study support to fundraising, rubbish collection and meal distribution, among others. Ajuda de Mãe, the Jesuit Refugee Service and Comunidade Vida e Paz are some of the associations involved in this project.

The VIDA project, organised in partnership between the Office of Social Responsibility (GRS) and Católica's Chaplaincy, provides for the complete supervision of the volunteers, from their registration to their training and integration in the different institutions.

For more information, please contact voluntariado.sede@ucp.pt.

At only 23 years of age, Francisco Dias, finalist of the Master's in Cinema at Universidade Católica, is already taking the first steps in his career as a filmmaker. In 2020, he won the prize for best film in the Take One! competition at the Vila do Conde Short Film Festival, with I don't like 5 p.m., a short film developed during his Bachelor's degree at the School of Arts.

"The film tells in a poetic and almost dialogue-free way the story of my first love, an encounter, and then, in the end, a drifting apart," explains Francisco. "The competition was fierce and I was very happy to have won," shares the young filmmaker. With the award, which marks the "beginning of a career in cinema", the film went on to be represented by an agency and presented "in other festivals, not only in Portugal, but in other European countries," and is now available on the Filmin streaming platform.

For Francisco, his passion for cinema began in high school. Divided between Cinema and Aerospace Engineering, he chose to do a Degree in Sound and Image at the School of Arts of the Porto Regional Centre, after talking to former students and visiting the University. "I felt that Católica would be the best option," he says. A conviction that he reaffirmed in his Master's degree.

A course that he considers to have been very liberating. And "important to become the person I am today," he adds. Among the strong points of the University, he highlights all the "camera, lighting and sound equipment" and the image and sound post-production studios made available to him, as well as the capacity to "develop creativity, artistic thinking and research methods". Tools that he believes will "accompany him in the future".

Francisco describes the career he has chosen as one of great responsibility. "The role of a filmmaker today is of nuclear importance," he says. "In a world where there are many images that are fabricated," he believes it is important "to convey something more true, to share real emotions, and to represent those who deserve to be represented." That's why for his Masters project he chose "to make a short film on the way the advance of the sea and coastal erosion affect the life of a community that lives by the sea"

As for the future of Portuguese cinema, he hopes for the creation of "a more solid industry, and an effort to show the Portuguese people cinema made in the country". Especially in his home city, Porto. Here he highlights the initiatives of Luís Costa and José Magro, "two students from the Universidade Católica who have started their own agencies and are developing very interesting work" in cinema.

Although he believes that streaming platforms like Filmin are a way of bringing cinema to more people, particularly short films and works by young artists, Francisco cannot give up the cinematic experience. For the artist, going to the cinema is important because of the scale, the quality, but above all the "presence of the audience, that is, being able to share the experience with other people."

This is why on this World Cinema Day he recommends three different films to see in the cinema or at home: Sem Deixar Rastos, "a story set in the 1980s, in Warsaw, of a young man who was killed by the police"; O Triângulo da Tristeza, which satirizes the extremely rich; and Alma Viva, "the Portuguese candidate for the Oscars", which represents "an authentic portrait of a family from Trás-os-Montes."

Watch the young director's 1st short film here

Students at Universidade Católica Portuguesa can take part in numerous clubs and extracurricular activities that enrich their academic life and prepare them for professional life. These include professional clubs, junior enterprises, and other student-organized initiatives.

180 Degrees Consulting

180 Degrees Consulting is a consulting club, made up of young students from the Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics (CLSBE). It provides quality consulting services at affordable prices to non-profit organizations or social institutions, presenting innovative and sustainable solutions.

Any CLSBE student can participate in this club, having only to apply at the beginning of each semester to be a consultant or project manager.

Equality in Business

With the mission of bringing gender equality in the business world to the discussion, and contributing to the inclusion and diversity in companies, Equality in Business organizes initiatives and events where students discuss these topics with companies, generating networking opportunities.

The club, run by CLSBE students, also launches the weekly podcast Together for Equality”.

CATÓLICA-LISBON Marketing Club

For those who want to explore the world of marketing, this club is the perfect opportunity. The students organize events, workshops, a podcast, a magazine, and various learning and networking opportunities with companies. Besides students from Católica-Lisbon, students from any faculty of Universidade Católica Portuguesa can also participate, as long as they are accepted in the recruitment process.

Católica Policy Society

This club, run by students from the Porto Regional Centre, aims to be a space for free discussion on current political issues, including economic and social policies, security and defense, sustainability, law and international relations.

The Católica Policy Society aims to empower students' critical thinking through debates, training in public speaking, simulation sessions of the Portuguese Parliament, article writing, among others.

Católica Porto Investment Club

The club seeks to foster financial literacy in the academic community and to instill in its members the ideal combination of soft and hard skills to enter the business world. Thus, in addition to financial inputs, CIC aims to promote personal development and networking among its members.

The Católica Porto Investment Club organizes events, webinars, workshops, a book club and a podcast on topics related to finance and investments.

These are just some of the professional clubs available. Get to know them all at Life at Católica.