Transform4Europe Week: Alliance highlights the importance of inclusion in partnership with Café Joyeux

As diversity and inclusion are strategic components of Transform4Europe (T4EU) and two of the key areas of focus for the university alliance, these themes were also highlighted during Transform4Europe Week 2026 (T4EU Week), which took place at the Universidade Católica, in Lisbon.

For this initiative, themed “Community, Communities”, the Universidade Católica and T4EU invited Café Joyeux – a group of socially responsible and inclusive café-restaurants that employs and trains people with intellectual and developmental disabilities – to act as partners and catering suppliers.

“The mission of Transform4Europe and that of Café Joyeux go hand in hand. It only makes sense to discuss the theme ‘Community, Communities’ if we include diversity and active inclusion. Being on an international and university stage is proof that inclusion should not merely be a topic for academic debate, but rather a living practice in the day-to-day running of institutions,” says Joana Ribeiro, from Café Joyeux’s Customer, Partner and Donor Services Department.

Highlighting the “extraordinary and very tangible impact” of this initiative on the community supported by Café Joyeux, she explains that participation in T4EU Week has contributed to the sustainability of this social enterprise. “By choosing our service, they have directly supported the creation and maintenance of part-time jobs for our community,” she explains.

Furthermore, it represents an opportunity for personal fulfilment and self-esteem. “For our staff who were on the ground, this kind of work is real proof of their professional worth. Feeling that an international academic community has hired them for the quality of their service gives them immense pride and reinforces their sense of belonging to this community of communities,” emphasises Joana Ribeiro.

To provide the coffee breaks and one of the lunches at T4EU Week, Café Joyeux deployed a team of 15 staff members.

“Linking Café Joyeux to Transform4Europe Week means turning theoretical discussions into concrete action. Social sustainability and inclusion are often debated in panel discussions, but real transformation happens when we create the space for it to take shape,” adds Joana Ribeiro. She highlights the normalisation of difference, which shows that “inclusion can and should have a viable and professional business model”, as well as the conscious consumption and inspiration it provides. “It reminds everyone present that a strong community is one that leaves no one behind,” she notes.

In addition to the partnership with Café Joyeux, T4EU Week included workshops on inclusion and a talk by Pedro and Miguel Ferreira Pinto, better known as the Iron Brothers, on their participation in sporting events such as triathlons, Iron Man races and marathons.

“As diversity and inclusion are themes that are always present in the principles and practices of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, we wanted T4EU Week in Lisbon to reflect this,” notes Maria Lopes Cardoso, from Universidade Católica and the organisers of this international event.

“We were treated to an inspiring talk by the Iron Brothers, catering was provided by Café Joyeux, which advocates for the creation of professional opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental difficulties; the Inclusion Round Table took place – highlighting 12 inclusion projects with which Católica has an ongoing relationship – as well as the Inclusion Exhibition, which showcased inclusion projects at various universities within the Transform4Europe alliance. This was yet another way in which T4EU Week in Lisbon integrated the origins of Católica,” she adds.

“It was an absolutely inspiring experience to share the space with other projects; it creates a contagious energy that proves that barriers exist mainly in our own minds. It was the perfect reflection of what the world should be: a space where difference is celebrated and where everyone has a role to play,” concludes Joana Ribeiro.