During the 2018-2019 academic year the Voluntariat Lingüístic programme has continued to work both to offer a wide range of trips and guided tours to international students as to ensure efficient management of the language tandem programme.


Visits and cultural activities programme

From the 29th of September 2018 to the 8th of June 2019, the Voluntariat Lingüístic programme has offered a total of 42 tours and activities: 15 in the first term, 13 in the second term and 14 in the third term. Out of the total number of outings and activities, 28 took place in Barcelona, ​​13 in the rest of Catalonia and one in the Principality of Andorra. These tours and activities were mostly held on Saturdays (27 activities on a Saturday, one on a Sunday and one on a whole weekend), and the remaining 13 on weekdays.


Activities carried out during the first term:

  1. Boat trip along the coast of Barcelona + panoramic route by coach around Barcelona

  2. Visit to northern Costa Brava: L’Escala, Empúries and Pals

  3. Visit to the Fabra Observatory and walk along the Carretera de les Aigües, Barcelona

  4. Conversation group in Catalan (Ciutadella campus)

  5. Tour around Roman and medieval Barcelona

  6. Visit to the monastery of Ripoll + ‘pa amb tomàquet’ workshop and ‘castanyada’ (chestnut festivity celebration) + excursion to the Santa Margarida volcano, in La Garrotxa area

  7. Tour around the Barcelona of 1714 + visit to the Museum of History of Catalonia

  8. Human castles workshop + attendance to a participatory rehearsal with the Castellers de Barcelona human castles group

  9. Walk between vineyards + oenology workshop and wine tasting in a winery in El Penedès area

  10. Visit to the modernist setting of the Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona

  11. Conversation group in Catalan: visit to the historical building of the University of Barcelona

  12. Tour around the city of Girona

  13. Tour around women's Barcelona

  14. Visit to the monastery of Pedralbes and to the district of Sarrià, Barcelona

  15. Catalan Christmas tradition tour + Christmas and end-of-term celebration at UPF’s Rectoral building


Activities carried out during the second term:

  1. Visit to the Palau de la Generalitat, home of the Government of Catalonia, and to the belfry of the Sants Just i Pastor church

  2. Visit to the Roman aqueduct of Les Ferreres and to the city of Tarragona

  3. Conversation group in Catalan: visit to the Ateneu Barcelonès cultural institution, Barcelona

  4. Tour around modernist Eixample, Barcelona

  5. Visit to Figueres, to the Sant Ferran fortress and to Dalí Museum

  6. Tour around Montjuïc mountain, Barcelona

  7. Visit to the monastery of Santes Creus and to the city of Montblanc + ‘pa amb tomàquet’ workshop, ‘calçotada’ and ‘porró’ drinking contest

  8. Tour around Picasso’s and Miró’s Barcelona

  9. Conversation group in Catalan: “History and life in the Barcelona of 1700”, at El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria, Barcelona

  10. Tour around the Gràcia neighbourhood and visit to the antiaircraft shelter at Plaça del Diamant, Barcelona

  11. Visit to Televisió de Catalunya, the Catalan national TV

  12. Cultural and tourism weekend in the Principality of Andorra

  13. Visit to the Chocolate Museum and the Llotja de Mar, Barcelona

  14. Tour to the Turó de la Rovira hill (‘the bunkers’), to the Turó del Carmel hill and to Park Güell Park + international end-of-term brunch


Activities carried out during the third term:

  1. Visit a winery in the Penedès area + walk between vineyards

  2. Visit to the medieval village and to the castle of Hostalric + workshop of paper roses + ‘pa amb tomàquet’ workshop + ‘porró’ drinking contest

  3. Visit to Montserrat + hiking to the Sant Jeroni summit (1,236 meters)

  4. Attendance as audience to the live TV programme “Està passant”, at Televisió de Catalunya

  5. Other nations: introductory workshop to the language, the culture, the music and the gastronomy of the Basque Country, Barcelona

  6. Tour around Collserola mountain range, Barcelona: Tibidabo and Vallvidrera reservoir

  7. Visit to the National Library of Catalonia and to the Gran Teatre del Liceu

  8. Visit to Besalú, Banyoles and Girona, on the occasion of the “Temps de Flors” festival

  9. Other nations: introductory workshop to the language, culture, music and gastronomy of Russia, Barcelona

  10. Barcelona from the sea, Barcelona and the sea: boat trip along the city’s seafront + guided tour about Barcelona’s relationship with the sea

  11. Visit to the Parliament of Catalonia

  12. Visit to southern Costa Brava: Tossa de Mar + boat trip + Lloret de Mar

  13. Visit to Vall de Núria, in the Pyrenees

  14. 2018-2019 farewell party on the beach in La Barceloneta


Conversation exchange programme (language tandems)

During the 2018-2019 academic year a total of 366 language tandems have been matched, out of the 798 applications received, 331 applications from international students and 467 from Catalan students. Per terms, the distribution of language tandems has been as follows: in the first term, 170 applications by international students and 196 by Catalan students; in the second term, 80 applications by international students and 136 by Catalan students; and, finally, in the third term, 81 applications by international students and 135 by Catalan students.

Most of the participants were undergraduate students (77.45% of the total number of applications for this year), followed by postgraduate students (17.54% of total applications), while the remaining 5.01% corresponds to lecturers, administration and service staff and alumni. It should be noted, moreover, that 62.92% of the total number of applicants were women. Regarding the applicant's age ranges, 84.71% of the participants were, at the time of applying, between 17 and 25 years old, while the remaining 15.29% corresponded to students over 25 years old.

And finally, as far as languages are concerned, Catalan students have requested 26 different languages. The English language has been both the most requested language, present in 40.24% of the applications by Catalan students, and the most requested one, present in 52.66% of applications by international students. Other languages ​​such as French, German and Italian have also had a significant presence in the set of applications, although with much less importance.