The past year was a time of intensive work, development, and reflection on the activities carried out by Volunteer Centre of the University of Warsaw. It was a year full of meetings, conversations, and shared initiatives, which today can also be described through concrete figures.

Over the course of the year, 367 new volunteers joined the VC UW database, ready to engage in social, educational, and integration-oriented projects. Thanks to their involvement, it was possible to support both university initiatives and activities carried out by external institutions and organizations. With volunteers in mind, we sought to create new opportunities for action and for meeting one another.

After 34 months, the UNICOMM project came to an end. Its outcomes include over 150 hours of workshops, nearly 800 participants involved in project activities, and more than 20 free resources available for reading, listening, and watching. On our website, you can find publications, infographics, podcasts, and videos offering practical guidance on building engaged academic communities based on dialogue, attentiveness, and mutual respect.

In 2025, VC UW also continued its regular programme activities and support initiatives. As part of the 11th edition of Filling in pets’ bellies, 87 kilograms of pet food were collected and donated to animals under the care of the Zwierzochron Foundation. Participants also had the opportunity to take part in workshops and meetings with experts specialising in cat and dog behaviour. In December, volunteers traditionally joined the Intergenerational Christmas Tree Mission, sharing their creativity with the youngest hospital patients.

The year 2025 also marked the continuation of cooperation with the University of Warsaw Psychological Support Centre. As part of this collaboration, 33 meetings of Klub dla osób neuroróżnorodnych were held, during which volunteers created a safe space for integration, conversation, and strengthening a sense of agency.

Throughout the year, there was also time for calm conversations and meetings fostering mutual understanding. In October, thanks to our volunteer Julia Niemiec, we launched the Dialogues series - a space for sharing opinions and engaging in non-judgemental conversations in an atmosphere of safety and mutual respect. Three meetings based on the Nansen dialogue method have already taken place, with more to come.

There were also events dedicated to those who wished to practise their language skills and develop intercultural communication competencies. A total of five meetings of the Speaking Club - Polski Język, so to speak were held, along with two intercultural workshops organised as part of the third edition of the #interlab+ project of the Foundation for the Development of the Education System.

Among the meetings, events devoted to culture and tradition held a special place. During Nowruz - Celebrating Spring: Multicultural Festival of Dance, Art and Tradition, we celebrated the arrival of spring together, discovering dance, art, and customs thanks to the facilitators: Reikhan, a student from Azerbaijan, and Miella and Fatima, students from Kyrgyzstan. The meeting “How Do I Call You? Chinese traditions in name-giving”, led by Xiaowei, a student from China, offered an opportunity to explore the meanings of names and the stories behind them, as well as to reflect on identity and cultural differences.

Further highlights included three editions of the Multicultural Quiz, addressed to students, doctoral candidates, and staff of the University of Warsaw. These events, co-organised with the Welcome Point and the UW Student Council, fostered integration within the academic community, the exchange of experiences, openness to cultural diversity and simply having a good time.

It is also worth mentioning the new version of the VC UW website. We hope that the introduced changes have made it more user-friendly, improved the accessibility of content, and made the areas of our activity more visible.

The year also brought moments of shared celebration. The Second Volunteer Day Gala was an opportunity to express gratitude and appreciation to those engaged in volunteer activities for the university.

As the year comes to a close, we look to the future with openness to new opportunities and readiness for further action.