Last week Católica Porto Business School opened its doors to welcome new master's students with its All Aboard programme. This programme was specially designed to facilitate the integration and adaptation of the new students of the master's degrees in Management, Marketing, Finance, Auditing and Taxation and Business Economics.
Over the course of four days, the students took part in activities designed to promote community spirit and adaptation to academic life, both for day students and post-labour students.
On the first day, the activities began in the gardens of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto, with the delivery of welcome kits and a cocktail reception. Around 200 students took part and had the opportunity to interact and get to know their classmates. The dean of Católica Porto Business School, João Pinto, and the vice-dean and director of Master's Programmes, Paulo Alves, welcomed the new students with a message of encouragement. The afternoon culminated with a team building activity organised by the Career and Development Office, which helped to break the ice through group dynamics. The students then took part in a session with the director of the respective master's programme for clarification and guidance, bringing the first day to a close.
The second day began with a guided tour of the campus, led by colleagues from the second year of the master's programme, where they explored the university's various departments and spaces. Afterwards, they were divided into groups for different activities. One group took part in a peddy paper through the centre of Porto, while the other groups took part in activities promoted by the Career and Development Office and the consultancy firm Pessoas e Sistemas - "Empower your Career" and "Road on your Skills". These activities focused on developing professional and personal skills, including simulated work scenarios with personalised feedback.
The third day began with a socialising and networking session, where the students were able to continue bonding. The activities continued with the rotation of groups, ensuring that everyone took part in all the dynamics.
On the final day, 26 September, the afternoon began with a workshop, led by the Transformers Movement, which offered students a unique opportunity for reflection, collaboration and concrete impact on the world. Through rooms dedicated to various social causes, the students were able to turn their social and environmental awareness into action and, at the same time, learn about the work carried out by the organisations present in their various areas of activity: Climate Change - Vintage for a Cause, Biodiversity Protection - VERDE, Career and Professional Development - Transformers Movement, Education and School Leavers - Transformers Movement, Animal Abandonment - MAD Panda, Ageing Population - Reformers, Migration and Refugees - MEERU, and Poverty and Social Exclusion - Portuguese Red Cross.
The afternoon ended with the "Meet the Alumni" session with Miguel Leichsenring Franco, co-CEO of Schmitt Elevadores and director of the Commercial Association of Porto. In an informal setting, the students were able to learn from the experience of the management degree alumni and take part in a question and answer session.
All Aboard ended with a cocktail party, celebrating the start of this new journey with good humour, music and conviviality.
