Noored Ühiskonna Heaks (NYH) is promoting a call for participants for European Solidarity Corps (ESC) projects that mean activities dealing with such topics as health promotion and education in Portugal.
TIMELINE: Flexible dates
CUCUJÃES
About the place:
The town isn’t really a city but more rather a village. With an area of about 10,42Km 2 and not more than 10 705 habitants, it is a small yet urban village integrated in Porto metropolitan area. Vila de Cucujães is part of Oliveira de Azeméis municipality and belongs to the district of Aveiro. It is 42 Km away from Porto and 40 Km away from Aveiro and both are easily accessible through public transportation. Although Cucujães is located in a rather small environment, make no mistake: they are very much active and promote a lot of youth activities. If you fancy the sea waves, there is also a direct bus to Ovar (which is less than 20Km away) and its nice beach areas.
About the organization:
The Portuguese Red Cross – Local Branch of Cucujães is part of the worldwide International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement through the National Society, Portuguese Red Cross. On local level, the Local Branch offers support to the community focusing on 3 main areas of intervention: Social, Emergency & First Aid and Youth & Volunteering.
The work/ tasks at the Local Branch are mostly “hands-on” and practical and the volunteer will be involved in diverse tasks/ activties (not working merely with a specific target group or project but with many); which gives him/ her the chance to try new things and learn new competences. An openmind and adaptable attitude is required as plans/ priorities often change.
Volunteer`s tasks and responsibilities:
- Food Bank: This includes picking up and transporting food donations, storing, and organising food supplies,and then distributing them to families and individuals in need, either at the headquarters or by delivering it to people’s houses.
- Transportation: If you are a driver, we might ask you to drive our beneficiaries to doctor appointments, social security institute or other places that might be necessary.
- Active Mix: organising or supporting activities for a group of people with intellectual disabilities.
- Dia V: Volunteers take part in environmental cleaning actions when we organise them.
- Permaculture Farm: Volunteers help out at a local permaculture farm (harvesting and planting vegetables and fruits, cleaning and feeding animals, dealing with compost, etc).
- Social media content creation: Taking photos, videos, and create digital content to feed the organization’s social media accounts and the “new” website.
The volunteer will also be encouraged to develop his/ her own personal micro-project. Something realistic, that can answer to the needs of the local community and that was fully created and implemented by the volunteer.
GUIMARÃES
About the place:
Guimarães is often called the cradle of Portugal because of its ancient roots and the fact that our first king was born in the town. 50 km away from Porto’s airport, with great bus and train connections with the rest of the country, it’s a medium sized city, with around 150 thousand inhabitants, and it is estimated that 20% are younger than 30 years old, which makes it one of the youngest cities in the country. With a variety of museums, concert rooms and outdoor activities and events, Guimarães is a very active city when it comes to culture and social activities. On another hand, it has lots of parks and green spaces where you can relax and enjoy nature. This, combined with the active historical center full of bars and restaurants and its medieval feel, has granted Guimarães many tourism and lifestyle awards.
About the organization:
The Guimarães Branch of the Portuguese Red Cross is a familiar branch that works mostly on volunteering projects within the community, non-urgent transports, social innovation, health and social services. Volunteers will have a supervisor, but will also interact with coordinators and professionals of the areas they choose to integrate.
Volunteer`s tasks and responsibilities:
- Personal project: ESC volunteers will be welcome to share their visions and initiate their own project and develop their ideas to provide new kinds of support to the communities.
- Main tasks: Working on their own projects, supporting in social media and event planning.
- Optional tasks:
These are some of the already existing areas that the volunteers can collaborate as well, if they feel motivated:
- Sick and elderly Hospital Volunteering,
- Children and Youth in Need (Fun Hospital, intervention with children and youth in shelter homes, free time activities during holidays for children from endangered neighborhoods),
- Inmates
- Education and school intervention (Healthy Habits Eating Game, Alcohol consumption prevention, Sun Exposure Prevention, Youth First Aid, Violence and Gender Equality, Sexuality, Environmental Education, Non-formal Education),
- Homeless (collaboration in our homeless shelter),
- Developing activities for the Youth Group;
- Social support (support to the social workers, organizing food and baby bank, organizing monthlybaskets for those in need, managing donations).
SANGUEDO
About the place:
Sanguedo is a Portuguese parish, located in the municipality of Santa Maria da Feira. The population in 2011 was 3,600. The total land area is 4.57 km2.
Santa Maria is located in area that allowed it to be a crossroads of various peoples. Ancient Roman roadways connected Porto, Viseu, Lisbon and Braga and intersected the region, and was used until the 19th century. In addition, pre-Roman castros dotted the territory.
Eventually, nomadic tribes began to settle in the vicinity of the castle. This settlement soon became known as the Terra de Santa Maria. This name first appeared in 1117, in a donation by D. Teresa, who began to reside in the castle around 1120. The lands of Santa Maria included a vast territory that included not only the municipality of Feira, but also Ovar, Vila Nova de Gaia, Vale de Cambra and São João da Madeira, among others.
The castle of Santa Maria da Feira, the ex-libris of Feira, is a testament to the military architecture of the Middle Ages. It is the fulcrum of the history of the region, and an important point in the Reconquista.
In the time of king Denis of Portugal, Feira already was the see of a julgado (old administrative division). This is testified by an ancient document called Foral Velho. It was awarded a new foral in 1514, when Manuel I of Portugal was the King of Portugal.
About the organization:
The Red Cross of Sanguedo, located at Rua Padre David Fernandes Coelho, in Santa Maria da Feira, develops a set of activities, among which, the emergency pre-hospital and transport of non-urgent patients, social support for families in need, therapies in the area of physical and psychological health, recreational and recreational actions and youth volunteering actions, through the Local Youth.
Volunteer`s tasks and responsibilities:
- Personal project: ESC volunteers will be welcome to share their visions and initiate their own project and develop their ideas to provide new kinds of support to the communities.
- Main tasks: Working on their own projects, supporting in social media and event planning.
- Optional tasks:
– Develop CVP’s website;
– Streamline social media;
– Help sorting and preparing food baskets and cleaning the Solidarity Market;
– Collection of food when carrying out campaigns;
– Screening of donations (clothing, toys, others) at the Delegation, Casa das Profissões and Solidarity Store;
– Cleaning, disinfection and maintenance of the condition of the vehicles;
– Support for the Caps project;
– Carry out minor interventions and restoration in the spaces (interior and exterior) of CVP (painting/organization of spaces, fixing shelves,…);
– Collaboration with the Youth volunteer team in the “Truz, Truz” project: Provide company to the elderly, go on short walks, do small tasks (going to the pharmacy, bakery, supermarket), teach how to use social networks (facebook and whatsapp, as a way of maintaining the link with families); carry out small house hygiene services, as well as small restorations (paintings);
– Create a small orchard in the House of Professions;
– Create a small Deck terrace at Casa das Profissões (for outdoor leisure time);
– Garbage collection on the streets/garbage collection on the beaches;
– Portuguese classes (through a protocol with a language institute, or with the collaboration of CVP volunteers);
– Partnership with Amicis. About AMICIS – Association of Friends for an Inclusive Community in Sanguedo’s mission is to promote the inclusion and social rehabilitation of people with disabilities and disability, through a response based on the proximity of community life, presenting itself as an alternative to institutionalization;
– Support the daytime team in activities with the disabled;
– Collaborate with the maintenance of the garden;
– Partnership with the Municipal Kennel of Sta Maria da Feira (animal hygiene, hygiene and maintenance of spaces);
– Partnership with the shelter “Obra do Frei Gil” – Residential Hostel (support in daily activities with children and young people; providing recreational activities with younger people);
– Partnership with the Parish Council of Sanguedo (collaboration with maintenance activities for green spaces, among other activities);
– Partnership with Juventude de Sanguedo (collaboration with the association’s initiatives,…).
VALE DE CAMBRA
About the place:
Vale de Cambra is a portuguese cosy little town with nearly 25 864 habitants. Located in the metropolitan area of Oporto, this county is characterized by the pleasant climate and friendly people. Well known by its industrial might, notably in metalworking, plastic packaging and factory automation, Vale de Cambra presents itself as centre of industrial development. You can stroll through the wonderful valleys and mountains, rivers, century old villages and archeological trails. The volunteers can benefit from all these peaceful features of this small town during their staying time.
About the organization:
Portuguese Red Cross has a local representation in Vale de Cambra. There are 2 social responses which the volunteers may take part in, the Shelter’s Centre receiving young people aged between 12 and 18 years and the Community Support Office whose mission is to identify community vulnerabilities and attend to their most pressing demands. The processes of orientation and supervision of those families are an absolutely primordial role of the Office.
Volunteer`s tasks and responsibilities:
- Take part and give some support for the activities with the boys in the Shelter’s Centre: the young people living in the Centre is a population distinguished by learning disabilities, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, among others. The specificity of the referred population makes all the help came from the volunteers welcome and precious.
- Programs for development of personal and social skills: the volunteers may also take part in the implementation of the programs whose pretend to stimulate the development of personal and social skills usually underdeveloped in this kind of population.
- Food collection initiatives: every year our Portuguese Red Cross local branch takes part in food collection initiatives in order to help the sustainability of the institution. It will also be one of the tasks of the volunteers in their mission.
- “O Meu Sol”: It is a national project aiming to prevent malign effects of the sun and heat exposure. It also pretends to promote healthy behaviors in general population.
- Youth First Aid: We are developing also our skills (having some formation) in what concerns Psychological First Aid. One of our aims for this year is to start making this programo f psychological First aid with children in schools. So, it could be also one of the activities of the volunteers.
- Psychossocial help: In collaboration with the City Council, we are now developing a response for the refugees that are arriving from Ukraine. We would be very happy to count on the volunteers to help in this new project.
- Espaço de Promoção Pessoal e Social: The Community Support Office provides twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays afternoon) a moment in which some members of the community can develop ludic activities encouraging them to work up emotions, motricity, team work, among other skills.
VOLUNTEER`S PROFILE:
- Between 18- 30 years old;
- Genuine interest in youth work, social and educational issues;
- Flexible and reliable;
- Motivated to live in Portugal for the full year;
- Ability to work in multilingual /multi-cultural environment;
- Should be interested and predisposed in working with vulnerable and disadvantaged young people and children;
- Able to work in a team environment but also able to take his/her own initiatives;
- Genuine interest in being useful to others rather than just the will of “adventure”;
- Should be responsible, creative, curious, open-minded;
- Should have good communication and empathy skills with children and young people;
- Able to support and stimulate different types of leisure activity, from indoor to outdoor activities;
- Competences in artistic expression and/or experience on sports or music field is very welcomed;
- True will to over come the language barrier and learn Portuguese.
Working language is English. Availability to learn Portuguese is also welcomed.
FINANCIAL CONDITIONS:
Accommodation, Food, Pocket Money, Portuguese Language Course, Local transport training opportunities and Travel Costs are totally covered, according to the programme rules.
HOW TO APPLY FOR THE PROJECT:
To apply for the project, candidates have to send their CV & MOTIVATION LETTER to marco@nyh.ee.
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