14 dezembro 2015

O testemunho do Roberto, voluntário italiano SVE em Lisboa!

Às vezes na vida você pode encontrar umas oportunidades que precisam de uma escolha. Não é sempre  fácil mas  você tem só de ouvir seus instintos e pronto! Então estou aqui, da minha pequena cidade no norte da Itália até Lisboa, a maravilhosa capital de Portugal.



Acabado de chegar, já me senti em casa, no meu fantástico “Apartamento dos Anjos”, compartilhando os espaços com rapazes e raparigas de toda a Europa; claro, não é fácil morar com mais oito pessoas, principalmente quando tenho de cozinhar ou preciso da casa do banho, mas nunca fico souzinho e, para qualquer problema, há sempre alguém para conversar um pouco enquanto se bebe um chá (ou uma cerveja, se o problema é grande).




A Associação Spin me acolheu carinhosamente com um prato de lasanha e com uma ginjinha,  excelente momento para conheçer os outros voluntários e a Associação Azimute Radical, onde eu vou trabalhar neste ano me mostrou as realidades de Carnide e do Bairro Padre Cruz, lugares diferentes do centro de Lisboa, mas que ajudam a perceber que nem tudo, na cidade, é feito para o turismo: Lisboa vive do trabalho das pessoas que moram, amam, esforçam-se para melhorar esta cidade diariamente.



E eu não posso esquecer do maravilhoso idioma que nos acompanha diariamente: o portugues! É incrível ver italianos, polacos, espanhoes conversar sobre tudo sem problema nenhum (mas o sotaque brasileiro fica sempre no meu coração).




Trabalhando, saindo com os amigos, descobrindo as muitas iniciativas culturais que a cidade oferece, esperando o iminente começo da faculdade, este primeiro mês passou rapidamente e estou cada vez mais convencido que eu fiz a escolha certa.

Roberto

01 dezembro 2015

Volunteering with animals: the experience of Valya

Hey there, I am Valya from Sofia, Bulgaria and I am volunteer in SOS Animal.  When I told my friends that I am going to Lisbon for my EVS and my work is connect with animals I received a lot of positive feedback and support. I was so excited to go to a new place that I felt it like a huge personal challenge mixed with a bit of fear. The moment I saw Lisbon from the small airplane window I knew that I made one of the best decision in my life, to apply for EVS and to be lucky to be volunteer in Lisbon.



I am a person who likes to travel, to learn about cultures, History, Geography and languages. But soon enough I understood that being volunteer may have many challenges but also good sides too. People in hosting organization and in general can have different perception about time, obligations that in the beginning it was frostrating for me, but slowly I was starting to adjust to a new way of communication, working and etc. In the beginning every one of my friends were telling me that I need to relax and enjoy (…calma, calma rapariga ...). In one moment I just hated the word “relax”, but now I am in the position of a person who is telling to the new volunteers that I met that they need to relax and enjoy the wonderful experience that they are going through.


Now I am in the middle of my EVS and looking back I can see that I experienced so many things. In the beginning I was so confuse about my working duties, but now after I got to know my colleagues better and got used to the working environment the things are getting better and better. I love the moment when I go to the veterinary hospital of SOS Animal and entering the dog’s room. I need one glance of the eyes of the animals that are waiting for me to take care of them, walking them outside, feeding, and taking care and giving each one of them a personal petting time, it just make my day better. The connection you can build with an animals is so strong and the cats are the best. They can feel immediately that you are in the hospital the moment you cross the door.

One of the best things to be a volunteer in Lisbon you can learn surfing. I got so addicted to the ocean and the salty taste that it leaves in you after you get out of the water is so refreshing and relaxing. Do not forget about the Portuguese language that is so melodic, unfortunately for me is a challenge to learn it, but with a strong wish and more practice soon it wouldn’t be an obstacle.


A couple of days ago somebody left in the Hospital of SOS Animal a book. Despise my skills in Portuguese I was manage to understand most of the poems (with a help of a Portuguese friend of course).One of the poems affected me a lot. The title of the poem is “Quem disse que esqueci o teu amor”. Without to know I felt in love with Portugal.


Valya

26 novembro 2015

Volunteering in "Conversa Amiga": Dea's testimony

“One homeless - One friend
Conversation is what makes us human!". 

This is the motto at Conversa Amiga, an association established about 17 years ago, offering tea and conversations to the people living in the streets. 

Gradually, they came with the idea of building lockers in public spaces, where the homeless could leave the few things they carry, secured with a key. Conversa Amiga started with only 12 lockers in Lisbon, but now the demand is high. With the lockers, you establish a trust relationship between organizations, and the homeless. The most touching words I heard during the training we had at Conversa Amiga, came from a man of the street: "with the lockers, my 100 kilos problem of not having a home, changed to a 40 kilos one". Whilst conversations are a means to counteract loneliness, building lockers is a concrete action that impacts the homeless directly, and it has started to be copied around the world. As a first time volunteer, catching midnight conversing with people in the streets, I was anxious, but with a need to fill in the immense pit in my stomach when thinking my own bed is a luxury for many.




The first stop was at Manu (fictional name). 
I saw him lying on a mattress next to a closed market, and he immediately caught my attention. A black man maybe in his 50's, wearing a stylish black suit and a flax shirt, a black cap and no shoes, just matching socks. The team approached him with a smile, and a big pot of tea. He is a troubled man, they say, and he dislikes women.

"Manu, do you want some tea?".
"Yea, why not?" he replies. 

I sit down next to his mattress, and I'm looking for eye contact. Manu has a remarkable humanity in his eyes, coming from the depth of something I cannot name, perhaps communion, a thing greedy people have lost. All of us in the team are women, and I'm somehow thinking that if I'm new, maybe he won't be that open. He starts comparing women with squids hiding in the sand, opening tentacles to catch the fish-men, than he jumps in talking about his "bebe", a daughter he has, and how she used to call him pai (dad). I learned he had once a wife, and that he was a teacher for first-graders. Maybe that's why I identify a childish sparkle in his eyes every now and than. Manu is terribly gifted with words and gestures like an inborn performer. He could be involved at least in community theater, hands down. Besides women, he also hates cats, so much so, that he makes no difference whatsoever in between the two species. He looks at me, notices my iPad is facing him, and adds "but this cat is pretty". 

One of the girls in the team asks him why he is always dressed so nice. 
He replies: "because it's important for self-esteem!". 

At some point, another black man appears. His name is Andres (fictional name) and sings Bob Marley's piece "no woman, no cry", straight out of his lungs as loud as he can, in the dead of the night. He is in the streets for 2 weeks more or less, and he doesn't want to sleep in a shelter.

Manu became nervous when Andres appeared, and threw a green blanket in the direction of a half empty bottle of wine. He didn't want to receive Andres in his corner. Squinting my eyes, I noticed that at the other end of the mattress, there is already someone else asleep, a young man, maybe in his early 20's. Andres became a little aggressive, so we decided it was time to go. 

On the way to our next conversation, I learned that Manu has a prejudice against black people, and an inferiority complex. He often says black people are always against each other. I couldn't wrap my mind on whether he misses Cape Verde, his birthplace, or not, and whether he didn't receive Andres because he is from Jamaica. 

Soon, we find Senhor Carlos (Mr. Carlos, fictional name). The girls pour some tea. 
"I had a room right here...right here", he pinpoints at a nearby building. But he was thrown out. 
The team at Conversa Amiga tries to identify why his social agent let him down. Senhor Carlos pulls from his cigar with an avid thirst, and an even greater sadness. At every attempt of convincing him to go back to a shelter, he says "I prefer to stay here! In the shelter, you go in, and they'll throw you out through the back door". Than he recalls how his social agent got scared of a rroma man punching a table, and he says "I am a Portuguese man, not a gipsy!".  

 "Senhor Carlos, let's put you in a shelter, there can be better shelters".
 "No! I wanna stay here! I go to the market every morning from here, it's close". Than, as the moon came back from the dark clouds, I noticed a tear is coming out in the corner of his eyes. A tear drop, in the corner of the eyes of a man living in the corner of the street, I think to myself, as I struggle to keep my overly empathic self in check. Crying myself is not an option. His stubborness is more like the pride of a man who doesn't trust society's seafety nets, and therefore denies everything connected or coming from it. The girls promise him an investigation on why he left the room in the shelter, and that they will have a talk with the social agent. They tell me afterwards that the situation is tricky, that sometimes you can't find out the truth from the men of the street or that the truth is only partially served. 

Over the course of my life, I learned that there's 3 things you can never hide: 
the sun, 
the moon, 
and 
the 
truth.




Senhor Carlos is on the streets for 2 months already, and most probably the shelters he tried so far were the ones with a not so good reputation. 

By far, the one who struck me the most was Antonio (fictional name). We found him after we walked a couple of streets more. I had to put the camera down. A woman with a clear aversion towards the cameras was sleeping in the same spot, behind some paper boxes, and the girls advised me to wrap its chord behind me. Antonio, apparently, is almost completely new to the streets of Lisbon. I am impressed by his perfect English, and his polite ways. He is about 1.90 m in height, and he's wearing mountain like gear, a blue backpack, and a plastic bag with all sorts of things in it. He likes snow just in the mountains though, not outside his home. If he wasn't around the streets at that late hour, I would have never guessed he is one of  the homeless. He comes from Poland, and he is born in 1986. Young, like me, I think to myself.  How could he have ended up in the streets of Lisbon? He lights a cigarette, than says "sorry, I didn't ask you if it bothers you, do you mind if I smoke?". We say it's alright and he looks in the distance, while just behind his shoulders, is a one meter cross with Jesus on it. There are some screams going around, a football game most probably, so we take the opportunity to strike a small conversation. 

"Do you like football, Antonio?".
 "No, I prefer basketball, I stopped playing football when I missed placing the ball from 2 meters." He has a shy smile when he recalls the event. 
"Do you want a shelter?" 
" No, I found a roof on Martim Moniz (a square in Lisbon). I'm not alone, other people sleep there. I don't want a social shelter. There are people doing drugs in there..."

"Are you scared of them, Antonio?"
 "Yes, of course I am!". 



Antonio ended up in Lisbon, after someone told him there are ships from China that come first to Portugal, so there are jobs in the harbor. He never found what he was looking for, so he was left without a penny, and he ended up in the streets. He also has a psychological illness that keeps him from natural sleeping patterns. That's why he lost his job back in Poland. 

He says: "I get misguided information from all sides, and I don't know where to go. I need at least a locker to place my things while I'm looking for a job. I found a shower to wash myself. I can sleep in the streets, but I need a shower, otherwise it is rather uncomfortable if I find a job. Portugal is warmer than Poland ...I like it here".

I look at one of the girls from the team at Conversa Amiga, and I can see how hard it is for her to find the right way of presenting a temporary answer. Eventually she says: "You know Antonio, we are sorry, but we can not help you with a locker now, there is a long waiting list. Perhaps in a few weeks something will be free. Meanwhile, we can help you with other things, papers and Embassy related, and we can establish a new meeting soon at an hour that is convenient to you." 

Antonio does not have money for public transport at all, so he comes up with a solution. 
"If the place of meeting is not far away, I can walk for 2 hours until I get there, but definitely not at noon...I'm having lunch at a church I found". 

"Should I?...Should I what? ".
He loses his train of thought for a short while.

"Thanks for the tea, will it be a long meeting? If you help me find a job, I'd rather have one with low human interaction. I have access to the internet in the evenings. You can contact me by email." Than he goes on speaking about Cracow, a southern Poland city, a beautiful one,  he says, just before he departs to his roof in Martim Moniz. 
We ended the night reflecting on our encounters with the team from Conversa Amiga. They do this after every night spent in the streets. I find out that there is a young man named Mauricio (fictional name). He's a dancer from an African country, talented, knowledgable, and cultured, who was once homeless. The team from Conversa Amiga helped him find a place to stay after the entertainment company that took him on board dissolved itself, and he collapsed mentally. He now gives performances, and he's up for long talks with anyone that stops by to sleep in the parks of Lisbon late at night. He’s sending back the boomerang of good deeds. I hope I’ll get to meet him next time we are out for conversations and offering support to those whom are lonely and forgotten by everyone else. 

Besides that I am proud of Conversa Amiga Association for doing such a great job, and grateful that I was allowed to experience what most don't wish to see, I loved that in Lisbon there are heaps of volunteers offering food to the homeless. As soon as we were stepping out of our work, other volunteers were stepping in bringing warm food, and warm greetings. My heart goes out to them every time I think about it. 

C: Deea Wolf 

17 novembro 2015

First days of Agata's EVS

They say that once you come to Lisbon you fall in love with the city and you will definitely come back. In my case it turned out to be true.

My name is Agata and I am Polish. I have started my EVS at Spin on the 1st of November, leaving colorful Polish Autumn and coming to Portugal right in the middle of something that looks like the end of the Summer - all sunny and warm. I have been to Lisbon last year, visiting my friend who was on her Erasmus scholarship here. I found this city unbelievably charming, beautiful and full of good vibes. I knew that I would like to come back here one day for a little bit longer and to get to know Portugal better. So here I am!


On the first days of my EVS I got some time to adapt to the new place. I like my apartment, which I share with other young people from Italy, Spain and Belgium. It is a really nice place with character and everyone is very welcoming. I was walking a lot, coming back to my favourite spots in Lisbon and discovering the new ones as well. It is still hard to believe that I am going to live here for the next nine months and that I will have time to become more familiar with at least some of the hypnotizing pictures and tastes of the city.


I came to Lisbon on the same day as Maurizio, with whom I will be working at Spin. A couple days later a group of fifteen volunteers from Romania came here for their short-term EVS. On my first day at Spin we had our welcome dinner together, which was absolutely delicious (applause for the chef!). And I think I should tell you - they made us cry at the very beginning of our EVS. But happily just while cutting onions for the dinner. :)


Slowly I am getting to know people, my workplace and my duties. For sure there will be many challenges and I can already see that I will have an opportunity to learn a lot of different things, both in proffesional and interpersonal fields.


For now the main obstacle for me is the language. I do not know portuguese well enough yet so it is not easy to go out with other people when I can not understand the conversations' topics. This motivates me to study even harder now and I hope that soon I will be able to have a grammatically correct chat in portuguese. :)

Começando meu nova vida em Lisboa!

Ciao to everybody!                                                               

My name is Maurizio, I come from Florence, and I am the new EVS volunteer in Spin. I came to Lisboa two weeks ago, and while I am writing this it feels like I am already here since long time.


This Lisbon thing wasn’t really just “a bed of roses” before of my arrival; I have been feeling more and more anxious about this new adventure: the idea of moving abroad for a long period of time, and plus in a almost completely unknown country, was unexpectedly scaring. Was I doing the right thing? Where will this adventure lead myself? Will it be a success or a failure? This is a complete jump into the unknown, beautiful and scary at the same time. But, as I read somewhere, “sometimes you have to get lost first before to find yourself”. 


A not so sunny Lisbon in my first day here

The first days here were really intense, since I never been to Lisbon before and I didn’t know anyone here: so I had to go out of my comfort zone, and start exploring a new city, a new language, a new culture. In the first days I just met my new flatmates (Italians, Spanish, Polish and Belgian, feels like an Erasmus again): talking to them helped me to understand a little bit more what this experience is going to be. During my first two free days I  explored around Anjos (my neighborhood), getting lost a dozens of times, but I have also discovered the many beauties of Lisboa: I lost myself in the charming tiny streets of Alfama, I chilled in the sun close to the Belem tower, I wondered in the magical Sintra woods.

Trying (unsuccessfully) to speak Portuguese with a local.
On the first wednesday me and Agata (the other EVS volunteer starting in November with me) finally had our first day at work, as well as a welcome dinner with other volunteers, where I have tasted for the first time an original Portuguese bacalau. 


That's me attacking bacalau
We have met Inès, Aneta, and the other volunteers here, we talked for a while about what we will do here, what are our expectations about this experience, and Spin rules and schedules. I had also my first Portuguese lessons, figuring out that it's not that different from Italian, but also that speaking it will be not so easy: so far I can't go too much beyond atè ja and obrigado, but I am working on it. And, last but not least, on my first friday I had a giginha night with other volunteers: I already realizing that it will become a close friend in the following weeks.

And now so here I am, a new lisboeito (is that correct?).

Atè ja, and write to you soon!

Maurizio





03 outubro 2015

My first SVE month in Lisbon

Almost one month since I am here. 
Time passed by so fast, and I've been doing so much that I could hardly sleep. No, it's not all about work, even though I felt really commited to my project.




What I can already say is: this is so challenging and exciting. I am now working in the organisation of cultural events and activities. It looks like something I was born for. I am feeling home and I am in touch with people from several other countries.



I speak portuguese quite well, but an intermediate/advanced level course has been set up and I really want to attend in order to learn more and more and improve my working skills. Lisbon is a great place, the weather is amazing, the views are stunning, the sea is freezing. It is definitely the place where you can say "summertime, and the living is easy". 



Im not going into more worke details, 'cause I have just started and I feel like there is still so much to know before I ll be able to depict my experience properly. But I have to be honest: I am full of energy and my team is great, I feel unstoppable and I am sure the best is yet to come!


Paolo

17 agosto 2015

O primeiro mês do estágio Erasmus+ da Monika

Olá, chamo-me Monika, sou da Polónia e estou a fazer o estágio do Programa  Erasmus+ na Spin.  Foi a minha ideia para passar este verão  cá e poder participar em atividades e em projetos previstos para os meses de julho e agosto. Já passou quase imperceptível um mês que estou aqui, num dos lugares mais bonitos do mundo . Na verdade havia tantas coisas a acontecer  que nem me dei conta de que vou ficar aqui apenas por um mês.  Lisboa cumprimentou-me com o sol e calor, com o céu e a luz incomparável com as outras partes do mundo e desde o princípio senti-me bem-vinda. 



Não é a minha primeira experiência na Spin. No ano passado tive a oportunidade de participar cá como a líder do grupo da Polónia no intercâmbio juvenil  "Because I´m ... Healthy!" com os jovens de cinco países. Trocávamos ideias e participámos nos workshops diferentes sobre os estilos de vida suadáveis . O ambiente acolhedor  e creativo criado pelas pessoas dedicadas ao seu trabalho fizeram com que não duvidei na hora de escolher  o lugar do meu estágio.

Nos primeiros dias conheci os voluntários de SVE que trabalham agora na Spin. Todos são muito simpáticos e divertidos, ajudam-me muito adaptar-me e sentir-me em casa.  Mesmo que fico aqui apenas por dois meses, já posso dizer que tenho a certeza que  manteremos o contacto. 

Desde o princípio tive a imagem clara do que vou fazer na Spin.  Queria utilizar o meu conhecimento da língua portuguesa e encontrei esta oportunidade no projeto "Live it Lisbon!" que decorreu  entre 11 e 23 de julho.  Durante aqueles dias um grupo de jovens voluntários de vários países do mundo chegaram ao Bairro Padre Cruz para participar nas intervenções de rua.  Além de  ficar todo o tempo com eles a pintar os muros e a creche e a limpar os quintais, deu as aulas de gramática portuguesa do nível básico durante o curso de português ao que os voluntários assistiram. Foi uma experiência inesquecível trabalhar junto com os habitantes do bairro, tornar as ruas um bocadinho menos tristes, ver um olhar de gratidão das pessoas que nem esperavam que alguma coisa pode mudar. Acho que todos mostrámos que são os gestos pequenos  que fazem a diferença e isso dá-me muita satisfação e orgulho.



Agora, com o fim do projeto, dedico-me mais ao trabalho tranquilo, no escritório, a tradução de alguns textos. Quero também conhecer  melhor a cidade e as coisas que me pode oferecer. Como estamos no pleno agosto, há muitos eventos e festiváis que decorrem nesta altura  e queria aproveitar a oportunidade de assistir a alguns. Sei que dois meses é pouco tempo mas tenho a certeza de que é suficiente para experimentar  e aprender  muito. 




Monika

12 agosto 2015

Lisboa nunca abandona...!

Chamome Sona, sou uma voluntaria da Espanha e já tem três meses que estou a fazer o meu SVE na Spin.

Lembro que a primeira vez que estive em Lisboa foi há já uns aninhos e nessa altura não me identifiquei muito com a cidade. Agora que voltei para Lisboa encontrei uma coisa bem diferente,é incrível como pode chegar a mudar o conceito que tem um de um sitio! Se alguém me tivesse dito há três anos que estaria a viver em Lisboa não acreditaria, porque sempre achei que é demasiado perto da Espanha como para ter uma experiência internacional cá. Mas afortunadamente as ideias mudam e as pessoas evolucionam e não posso estar mais feliz de terem chegado cá.



Agora também estou a conhecer outras áreas de Lisboa, que de não serem pelo voluntariado na Spin nunca chegaria a ver. Também forma parte de ver uma Lisboa diferente, uma Lisboa que as vezes nem os lisboetas conseguem ver. O bairro de Carnide é um contraste muito grande com a Lisboa central e é está a ser uma experiência muito interessante poder se envolver com a comunidade e ajudar nas iniciativas que a Freguesia têm.


O verão estivo a ser bastante ocupado aqui na Spin. Tivemos, por exemplo, um curso de formação muito interessante em Junho no que tivemos a oportunidade de conhecer pessoas de muitos cantos da Europa (as primeiras pessoas que conheci da Islândia na minha vida foram desse grupo) e depois estivemos a trabalhar com o grupo do workcamp, que chegaram de diferentes partes do mundo para fazer um voluntariado no Bairro. Mais adelante, quando passe tanta movimentação de pessoas a minha companheira Dagmara e mais eu vamos tentar desenvolver projectos pessoais.
Já está a ser uma experiência muito positiva tanto em todos os níveis e acho que daqui só pode ir a melhor!

11 agosto 2015

O primeiro mês do Bruno no Centro Cultural de Hispanohablantes em Amsterdão

Olá! Chamo-me Bruno, sou português, e estou em Amesterdão a fazer SVE. O meu projeto no Centro Cultural de Hispanohablantes de Amsterdam começou há cerca de um mês, numa altura em que os trabalhos estavam a terminar, o que acabou por resultar numa fase de adaptação ao meu local de trabalho.

Ainda não conheço muito sobre a capital holandesa, mas sem dúvida que é uma cidade com muito para oferecer, pelo que pude explorar em alguns momentos. Em cada esquina há maravilhosas paisagens, principalmente junto aos canais. Não estou habituado a tantos “rios e ribeiras” o que me deixa sempre encantado cada vez que passo por um (e passo por muitos).


Tive a oportunidade de conhecer outros voluntários que estão a trabalhar no Centro e, ainda, conhecer ex-voluntários que acabaram por ficar na Holanda a trabalhar ou a estudar, o que para mim resulta num abrir de oportunidades para o pós-SVE. Para mim, realizar um SVE é um sonho que se tornou realidade, em relação ao país escolhido fico ainda mais contente, visto que foi uma das minhas escolhas e um dos países em que tinha curiosidade em conhecer e viver um pouco da sua cultura.


Durante estas semanas tenho estado a receber formação sobre o que posso fazer no Centro. Comecei a dar aulas de inglês para principiantes, substitui um voluntário que saiu. Em setembro terei a oportunidade de seguir as minhas aulas segundo a minha orientação, visto que entrei assim do céu a ensinar inglês. Além disso, tenho trabalhado na área de comunicação, tenho feito cartazes, gerido as redes sociais do Centro, um pouco daquilo que é a minha área profissional e de estudos.




Em setembro irei começar o curso de holandês! Estou bastante entusiasmado, quero ao máximo saber falar a língua do país onde estou, apesar de poder falar inglês, creio que é uma das melhores formas para conhecer melhor a sua cultura e mesmo que quase toda a gente saiba falar a língua inglesa, existe muita gente que prefere falar holandês. Em setembro, porque ao que parece irá acontecer tudo, irão chegar novos voluntários do qual estou ansioso para conhece-los e poder partilhar experiências. De resto, não tenho muito mais a dizer. Estou feliz com o que tenho feito e espero que os próximos meses sejam cheios de novas experiências, novos confrontos que me ajudem a crescer enquanto pessoa.
                                   
                                                                                                                                                            Bruno

22 junho 2015

O meu primeiro mês de SVE na Associação SPIN

Olá! Chamo-me Dagmara, sou da Polónia e sou a nova voluntária da Spin. O meu projeto SVE começou há um mês mas às vezes tenho uma sensação de que tenho morado aqui toda a minha vida.

O tempo passa a correr em Lisboa, uma cidade que oferece imensas diversões, paisagens lindas, lugares inesquecíveis e um ambiente especial, sobretudo, quando se pode partilhá-lo com os outros voluntários, companheiros de casa e colegas de trabalho. Graças a eles foi muito fácil para mim adaptar-me a minha nova vida portuguesa e sentir-me cómoda aqui desde o primeiro dia da minha estadia em Lisboa.

Para mim, a possibilidade de realizar o meu SVE em Portugal é como um sonho que se tornou realidade. Há alguns anos, quando estava a fazer o intercâmbio Erasmus na Galiza, em Espanha, viajei por Portugal e apaixonei-me pela sua cultura, arquitetura, cozinha e língua que considero uma das línguas mais bonitas do mundo. Desde aquele momento quis voltar a Portugal e conhecer melhor os seus costumes. Alegro-me muito de poder realizar o meu SVE na Associação Spin dado que na Polónia já tive oportunidade de trabalhar no âmbito dos projetos locais e internacionais e gosto muito deste tipo de trabalho. No mês passado eu e os outros voluntários da Spin realizamos várias atividades, por exemplo, implementamos uma sessão informativa sobre o voluntariado e as oportunidades europeias para jovens durante o 6º Festival de Telheiras e também ajudamos a organizar o Espaço Jovem durante a XV Feira de Expressões Artísticas de Carnide.



Estou também com muita vontade de começar o curso de português e melhorar as minhas competências linguísticas, porque penso que a língua é uma ferramenta indispensável para conhecer verdadeiramente a cultura portuguesa e as pessoas com as quais vamos trabalhar durante os nossos meses de SVE. Espero que sejam uns meses alegres e cheios de novas experiências e aventuras!

Dagmara

05 março 2015

Os primeiros dias de Zuzanna sobre o seu SVE na Associação Cultural Ginga Brasil Capoeira

Sem dúvida você foi a minha escolha
Sua chamada virou aperto
Com você deixei se ser folha 
Só mexida pelo vento
Ginga de coração



E este vento forte da costa portuguesa levou uma polonesa e um francês a fazer um trabalho voluntariado na Associação Cultural Ginga Brasil Capoeira. Tão paixão por Lisboa como e pela capoeira estiveram na origem da nossa decisão para tornar os sonhos em realidade. Mesmo que tenhamos a experiência diferente, tanto o Sélim como e eu já vivemos em Lisboa e tivemos a oportunidade de conhecer bem a cidade como e a cultura em que nos se encontramos. Eu como estudante do programa Erasmus na Universidade Nova de Lisboa e o Sélim como o instructor de Savate (boxe francês) em Lisboa Ginásio Clube. Nos primeiros dias de nosso voluntariado, cada um na sua propria maneira estava a adaptar-se à nova situação.

No meu caso, já no dia seguinte à minha chegada tive oportunidade de verificar as minhas expectativas. Ainda não vi a Lisboa, mas já fui a Peniche, a sede de um pequeno município, com as pessoas que, na época, desconhecia, para fazer a apresentação de capoeira que não tinha praticado muito tempo, no evento de candomblé, da cultura que esteve sempre presente no mundo ritualistico da capoeira mas por parte das capoeiristas ainda observada de longe ... após disso, já abençoada num ritual dedicado a Yemanjá, tomei certeza que estou entre as pessoas certas, no lugar certo e nenhuma pisadura ganhada durante os treinos, tão de capoeira como e de Savate, será capaz mudar isso.
Nossos dias são dedicados aos treinos, eventos, às reuniões, e aos projetos que junto com as outras associações implementamos no âmbito de promover a inclusão social, a igualdade de oportunidades e a tolerância através da capoeira, de Savate, da música e de esportes entre crianças e jovens.



Quais serão os nossos próximos passos ? O tempo mostra onde o vento nos levará...

Zuzanna

First days of EVS in "Crescer a cores"

I am Giulia and I am italian.l start my EVS from 16th february and I will stay here in Lisbon for the next 6 months. I am working with children in a kindergarden called "Creche Crescer a Cores" in Padre Cruz neighborhood.

On my first day of EVS in Creche Crescer a Cores I meet the kindergarden's teachers Noemi, Carla and Monica, and we talked about the children's routine in the kindergarden which is made up of
activities such as, playtime, outdoor games, lunchtime, rest time. After that I met the 15 children, who were all very excited. They are aged between two and three years old and they want to sing and play like all the children of the world! My first impression was that each child has their own character, some are quiet, some are more lively, some try to get your attention by crying. This shows that each of the children are different, with their own personality just like every adult person. "Crescer a cores" wich means "Grow up in colors" supports the idea that we are all different, just like the differing colours of the colour spectrum.


I am really excited to be in Lisbon since is a city with a lot of thing to do in the freetime, I am practing capoeira. Now the weather is going to be warm and I will be able to practise outdoor activities in the park or in the beach. I believe it will be great 6 months here!

Giulia

02 março 2015

O testemunho do Vasco sobre o seu SVE na La Zubia, Espanha

"Ser voluntário europeu têm sido, sem dúvida alguma, das melhores experiências que vivi a nível pessoal. As pessoas com necessidades especiais necessitam principalmente de indivíduos que num acto de amor, lhes possam doar o seu tempo e ajudá-los a sentirem-se amados e mais integrados na nossa sociedade" - disse o Vasco. O Vasco tem feito o seu SVE na La Zubia, Espanha e gosta muito esta experiência. Aqui estão as fotos de todos os trabalhos que ele fez com a sua organização de acolhimento até agora.