Saint Louis University — Madrid offers its students, faculty and staff opportunities to live out their identity as men and women for others.
Central to the life of the Christian mission is the love of neighbor and the pursuit of justice, including special care for and solidarity with the poor and needy. This solidarity challenges people of faith to make the world more loving, just, peaceful and committed to life.
Learn more about how to serve the Madrid community through service learning, volunteer and leadership opportunities.
Campus Ambassadors
Campus ambassadors are SLU-Madrid student representatives who commit to upholding the mission of the University through their duties as mentors and in living their daily lives. SLU-Madrid Campus Ambassadors are recognized leaders in the University community.
As a campus ambassador, you'll serve as an official student representative for the University. You'll assist with welcome sessions, commencement and other activities.
To be selected as a campus ambassador, you must have strong leadership skills, be in good academic standing, and have the desire to serve the SLU-Madrid community. The application form and all documents must be submitted by February.
SLU-Madrid Service Opportunities
Descriptions of the volunteer opportunities offered at Saint Louis University — Madrid Campus can be found below. If you are interested in volunteering with any of the organizations listed, and you wish to learn about the commitment, schedules, level of Spanish, and other relevant requirements to decide where you would like to volunteer, please contact Student Life Program Assistant Sharrad Belin at sharrad.belin@slu.edu. The volunteer opportunities offered at Saint Louis University — Madrid can be described.
Accem is a non-profit, non-partisan and non-denominational organization that works to improve the living conditions of people in vulnerable situations. They defend equal rights, duties and opportunities for all people, regardless of their origin, gender, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation and identity, religion, opinion or social group. Please contact the Office of Student Life for more information.
Amigos de los Mayores is an organization that pairs volunteers with elderly individuals suffering from loneliness and solitude. As a volunteer, you establish a friendly connection with elderly individuals through leisure. This can be through conversations, walks, playing games or sharing stories. Currently, there are two volunteer opportunities offered within this organization:
- Weekly Volunteering: Weekly volunteering consists of face-to-face or phone conversations for at least two hours a week. This form of volunteering can be done at the student's most convenient time and day of the week and requires an annual or academic year commitment.
- Occasional Volunteering: This type of volunteering for specific events consists of collaborating on specific dates (i.e., holidays and festivals), is flexible and works with the schedule of the student volunteer.
Volunteers with BocaTalk make bocadillos — or sandwiches — and distribute them among homeless people in the city center. The sandwich is a pretext to establish a conversation with them, and the volunteers' main goal is to give these homeless people the dignity they deserve by sitting with them and listening to them. For more information, contact Paloma Gómez de Salazar at paloma.gomezdesalazar@slu.edu.
Community ESL is a free English as a Second Language program SLU-Madrid offers. Classes are given once or twice a week in the evenings. Classes form at the beginning of each semester and run through the end of the term. Basic class preparation is provided to volunteers before starting, with assistance as needed. English fluency is required. For more information, contact Hamish Binns at hamish.binns@slu.edu.
Cristianos/as de Madrid Homosexuales is an organization that provides support and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community. This organization provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ Christians to explore and express their faith while embracing their sexual orientation. Working with members of both the LGBTQ+ community as well as the heterosexual community, Crismhom's mission is to create a more inclusive and accepting environment within the catholic church through organizing regular meetings, workshops and retreats as well as creating social events to foster community and spiritual growth.
Fundación Amoverse works with children and teenagers in situations of social vulnerability in areas of non-formal education, academic support activities and leisure & free time. Volunteers must have a basic level of Spanish to participate. For more information, please contact the Office of Student Life.
The mission of Fundación Down Madrid is to defend the rights and dignity of individuals with Down syndrome or other intellectual disabilities while simultaneously providing support for their families through school, work and social inclusion. The Fundación Down Madrid organization aims to improve the overall quality of life by transforming our society into a society where people with intellectual disabilities are fully included and their rights are fully recognized. Please contact the Office of Student Life for more information.
Volunteer with Masnatur and accompany children with disabilities as they do activities around Madrid, such as playing water polo, visiting parks and museums and going to magic shows. All activities are planned by the organization and are carried out in groups of 20 to 30 children with their corresponding volunteers. Events typically take place on the weekends. This service opportunity is also available during the summer sessions.
Fundación Sanders (FUSA) is a Spanish non-profit organization that is leading the campaign "Una educación para todos." FUSA partnered with the Community of Madrid more than 10 years ago to teach technology to local at-risk youth. Since launching the campaign, FUSA now reaches across many business sectors and other non-profit organizations to help secure devices and internet connectivity for vulnerable families across Spain.
Fundación También is a non-profit organization that has worked since 2001 for the social inclusion of people with disabilities while promoting educational values in sports, leisure and free time activities. Fundación También aims to include its participants in sporting activities to improve their self-perception and self-esteem. Please contact the Office of Student Life for more information.
MAGIS is a Jesuit organization offering volunteer opportunities for young people between 18 and 30. If you want to explore your understanding of Christian life from the perspective of Ignatian spirituality, consider a MAGIS experience, activity or pilgrimage. Programs are offered in the summer and during the academic year in locations near and far. Explore the experiences available online at magis.es.
Manos de Ayuda Social is a nonprofit organization assisting individuals at risk of social exclusion. This organization helps individuals and families impacted by unemployment and loss of business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and pregnant women and foreign individuals searching for employment. Currently, they are looking for volunteers in their cafeteria dining hall in the Vallecas neighborhood 1-2 times a month. Additional volunteer opportunities are available for events and holidays throughout the year.
This group of nuns runs a shelter for people with HIV who are in a very advanced stage of their illness. You can go in the mornings to tidy up the place and help with the patients or in the afternoons to take the patients out for a walk and provide company. The nuns also run a soup kitchen in Vallecas and usually need help setting up and cleaning in the evenings.
Volunteer any day of the week except for Thursdays at the soup kitchen in Vallecas, which serves around 100 people a day. You only need to commit from 2 to 5 p.m., and the duties include preparing food, serving and cleaning up after. This service opportunity is also available during the summer sessions. Please contact Ana Romay Febres at anapatricia.romayfebres@slu.edu for more information.
The mission of Nadiesolo is to create solidarity in the community of Madrid. It works with more than 1,700 volunteers in a wide variety of programs that serve many different populations. Volunteer opportunities include assisting in hospitals, visiting the elderly, serving the needs of people experiencing homelessness, helping in long-term care centers and engaging physically disabled people in activities. Please contact the Office of Student Life for more information.
Rescate is a Spanish NGO dedicated to serving refugees, victims of conflicts, violence and natural disasters in their countries of origin since 1960. In 2020 they started new projects in which they continue to facilitate the reception, adaptation, social and labor inclusion of refugees and applicants of international protection, especially those who present vulnerability factors such as elements of gender, sexual orientation, the identity of gender or vulnerable families. Please contact the Office of Student Life for more information.
T-oigo is a non-profit association whose mission is to support families of deaf children with cochlear implants or hearing aids and help them fully integrate into society. T-oigo provides information and training through a nationwide community of parents. Through its national program, "Allies in English," children spend one hour a week each semester with a native speaker learning English through games, songs, crafts, etc. Please contact the Office of Student Life for more information.
USA Girl Scouts Overseas is an organization that allows girls of various backgrounds and abilities to unapologetically be themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges. Volunteers will attend meetings and help guide the girls in activities planned by the leaders. Volunteers may also align their skills with specific activities carried out by the scouts. Please contact the Office of Student Life for more information.