The Católica International Club is a club founded in 2012 and composed of a group of students of different majors and nationalities studying in the world of CATÓLICA-LISBON. The mission of the Católica International Club is to enrich the academic life of international students, both on and off campus, to promote interaction between foreign and Portuguese students and, in general, to make the experience of foreign students at CATÓLICA-LISBON unforgettable.
Currently, the club has 16 members, organized and divided according to their functions, such as: events, marketing and partnerships. Although all departments are interconnected, each group knows exactly what tasks it has to perform. The Events Department is responsible for designing and managing the events organized by the Club; the Marketing Department supports these events by promoting them and creating its own content; and finally, the Partnerships Department is responsible for managing and attracting new sponsors/partners for joint events.
From 2012 to 2023: Dinners, comedy nights, student sponsorships, or volunteer initiatives are just a few examples of events the club sponsors
Especially in the last two years, the growth "has been "remarkable," according to club representatives, and "the evolution has been to become more active and expand our target audience to full-time master's students, the vast majority of whom are international students, not just Erasmus students (bachelor's/master's)."
Their big goal is to have more presence among full-time students, most of whom are Portuguese, by promoting greater interaction between Portuguese and foreign students. One example of innovation was the "Welcome Week" launched in 2022, which club managers said was "a success" and consisted of a welcome program that included two weeks of dinners, a sunset, "Nights outs in Bairro Alto" and, of course, an afternoon at the beach with activities such as soccer and volleyball.
Another goal of the club is the organization of "Day Trips". This initiative aims to present the small treasures of our country in different areas such as Óbidos, Peniche and Ericeira. The main objective of the club is to create new and different events that promote the connection between all the nationalities that live in the campus of CATÓLICA-LISBON.
But despite the innovation, the club also wants to keep the tradition in its DNA, such as the already known 'Buddy Program', which consists in "pairing" a full-time student (Portuguese) with an exchange student (international), which is a quick way to help Erasmus students to have a contact that can help them whenever they need help and eventually create great friendships. This program was created as soon as the club was founded - it has always been successful - and the feedback from both sides, both Portuguese and international students, has been very positive, especially because it is possible to "meet new people and show our city". This is something that has fascinated the students a lot.
Dinners, comedy nights, volunteering to clean Portuguese beaches, themed parties (e.g. Halloween), going out to discover the best bars and discos in the capital, rooftop parties, boat parties, beach parties, sunset parties are some examples of initiatives launched by the Católica International Club to promote the integration of foreign students in Portugal and in Portuguese culture.
These events are organized in collaboration with other clubs of CATÓLICA-LISBON, such as Católica4Future and also through partnerships with other faculties, recognized associations, organizers of events in Lisbon, among other partners that the club tries to find to optimize the experience of all. For the leaders of the club, "many of the partnerships help us not only to promote the club and our mission, but also to connect the students who come to our events with students from other universities and realities. “Because inclusion is our guiding principle."