The Peer2Peer program, launched in 2018 by the Nova SBE Inclusive Community Forum, is taking a new step in its mission by expanding to Northern Portugal. This milestone is the result of a partnership between Nova SBE – New University of Lisbon Foundation and the Portuguese Catholic University in Porto (UCP-P), supported by the Partnerships for Social Innovation program under the Portugal Social Innovation 2030 initiative, and funded by social investors Amélia de Mello Foundation and São Bartolomeu dos Alemães Association in Lisbon. 

Peer2Peer is a pioneering program designed to prepare individuals with disabilities for the job market, pairing them with university students. Over the course of 11 weeks, participants develop both personal and professional skills in a collaborative environment that promotes mutual understanding, challenges stereotypes, and values diversity. 

By the end of 2024, the program has already involved 194 participants - 94 people with disabilities and 100 students - in collaboration with five higher education institutions. Over the next three years, with the financing of the Partnerships for Social Innovation program, of the Portugal Social Innovation 2030 mission structure, the initiative aims to train more than 250 people with disabilities and extend to other higher education institutions in the Northern region.

Through this initiative, Nova SBE reinforces its ongoing commitment to inclusion and to building a fairer, more accessible, and supportive society for all.