O testemunho final do Riccardo (Bola p’ra Frente)

These are my last days in Lisbon, I have to write some words about my experience here and I thought it was a good idea to go in a very sentimental place to do it. Now I just want to cry cause the nostalgic feeling is hitting too hard and it’s super difficult to write with blurred eyes.

I’m in Jardim do Rio, Almada, in the margem sul. I decided to come here because from this point it’s possible to see all Lisbon from west to east, that is from the Belém tower to a massive cruise ship docked in front of Alfama, the most historical area of the city. The sunset from this spot is stunning, in this moment the pinky clouds are reflecting on the Tejo River and I am completely immersed in this pinky atmosphere linking the sky to the river. wished to have amazing photography skills to frame this picture, but I tried and from my phone you can barely recognise Lisbon. I got distracted by the view, I was saying that I decided to come here because from this place it’s possible to see all the city from the outside, exactly like I’m watching my almost one year in Lisbon now.

I don’t think I can summarise my eleven months here, so I will just write at what point I am right now pretending you know exactly what I’m talking about.

I did the volunteer activities for the Associação Nacional Futebol de Rua, I have spent my energy for the kids of the association and I tried to use my time in there for them. Probably I could have done more for the association’s activities, I didn’t have a lot of sense of initiative in proposing new activities, but I’m happy that I managed to connect and stay close to many kids there, I cared a lot about them and I think in the ANFR everyone noticed this. I’m bringing back home a t-shirt signed by every kid of the association and with the t-shirt a lot of other things. I’m bringing back the constancy of Mafalda, who is always in the association with a great attitude. The honesty and bravery of Anderson in expressing himself. The cuteness and sympathy of Jorge, Bryan and Erika. The empathy of João and Gustavo, always looking for the lasts. The individual evolution of Telmo during the year. The curiosity of Lara and Rodrigo. The discipline of Erika. The younger brother's relationship with Emanuel, and a lot of other things.
It’s the first time for me to enter in the life of a different community and I like to think I am leaving, at least in part, as one of them.

Being a volunteer though is not something that applies just to the activities of the association. I spent one year (almost) living a communitarian life, living with less, sharing all my time and space with someone. I had to consider for all this time the cheapest solutions and soon I found myself very comfortable in the cheap world. A lot of things were not necessary anymore and my drive easily shifted to the essential. Lisbon for sure helped me in this process, it seems the perfect city for this and it’s very easy to find people with the same mindset.

I met people who drastically changed my life’s prospects, people who are not driven by crazy ambitious career dreams but just by the simple idea of experiencing life.

Now the sky is dark and the nostalgic feeling is not the only thing hitting hard since it’s getting very windy, it is difficult to write a conclusion because I was too optimistic not wearing a jacket and my hands are freezing. I am going to enjoy my last days in Lisbon totally aware that they will not be my real last ones. I will come back soon, the connections here are too strong. I am sure I will write a proper conclusion next time.

O testemunho No. 1 do Riccardo (ANFR - Bola p'ra frente)

Volunteering for the ESC was an opportunity that I was extremely excited to take. Having the possibility to travel while doing experience helping a community is an incredibile chance, and I was very enthusiastic to do it. 

I decided to come in Lisboa because I have a background in sport and the project I am taking part with the Associação Nacional Futebol the Rua (ANFR) is using sport as a mean to bring positive values in a disadvantage community. I felt that in this project I could have been an active part with my knowledge and experience. I have never been in Lisboa or Portugal before, so I didn't have many expectations about the environment I would end up living.

After the first month here I am really happy about my decision. The project I am taking part is as I expected, the association is an incredibly important resource for the community of the area they are working. It is, before anything else, a gathering place for many teenagers who enjoy to spend time in a positive and safe environment. The sport activities are the main ones to catch the attention of the youths, and their enthusiasm is extremely high during these activities. 

As I expected I can be an active part in this project. Even though in this first period I have a marginal role because I don't speak Portuguese yet, I am very motivating to learn the language and build strong connections in the community. 

I didn't have expectations regarding the city and now I am so positively surprised. Lisboa has an incredible cool atmosphere, with a lot of cultural and artistic events happening every week. From the first impression, it looks like a city that really values human beings, with many opportunities to share and develop interests. 

I am very happy about the decision to come here, I am enjoying this experience and I am excited for the next months I will spend in Lisboa.

O testemunho No. 2 da Dina (Bola p'ra frente)

Half a year has passed since I came to Portugal. During this time at the association where I  volunteer, we were super busy because of the many activities that were going on. Apart from that, I was occupied by so many opportunities that Lisbon is offering and spending time with my lovely flatmates and dear people me.

By collecting the food and necessities for the people of the neighborhood where the association is located, we made bags from reusable materials to put all these together. Later, together with the kids and colleagues, we visited around 20 families and distributed presents and wished them happy holidays. To wrap up the 2022, we organized an unforgettable and joyful dinner where we celebrated with almost 50 kids and spread some motivating and warm wishes to each other.

The first days of 2023 were crucial for us as we made plans and later on organized so many interesting activities, some of them with the help of partner associations, such as: promoting and joining a local theatre group, theoretical and practical bicycle activities and rides around the neighborhood and Lisbon, street football tournaments, picnics, pilates, yoga, music and dance classes, outdoor scavenger hunt games, visit to elderly house and socializing with elder people, master chef, safety walks in the neighborhood and overall education by police how to follow street signals, and so many. All this was done to improve skills and help kids gain knowledge regarding various things, as well as let them express themselves in different ways. 

By attending activities and spending time in the association, the bond between kids and me became so strong that now we can´t imagine days without each other. I must say that even though I work daily with them on different topics and help them do homework and learn more, they help me grow as well.

Next to volunteering, I had plenty of time to dedicate to myself. I joined a volleyball club and started training there. Therefore, I connected more with locals. 

 

I would like to add that Portugal is fascinating with its amazing nature, landscapes, beaches and cities. I had the opportunity to visit many of them and enjoy each moment.  

Overall, life here has been amazing, especially with all the people around me, who I appreciate and love more and more each day. 

 

 

O testemunho No. 1 da Dina (Bola p'ra frente)

 

Hello everyone,

My name is Dina, and I come from Serbia. I’ve been volunteering for a month at the Associação Nacional de Futebol de Rua in Lisbon, Portugal. The association is located in a neighborhood where there are many children of various ages and different backgrounds. More precisely, fewer opportunities, facing poverty, being exposed to bullying, overall violence and delinquency, and members of different ethnic groups that are being discriminated against. Therefore, the association represents a comfortable space for everyone. Apart from the amazing facilities the association offers, it is first and foremost a warm corner with dear employees, interns, and volunteers who are always in a mood to dedicate their time to every child that comes and support them in any way. Simply put, ANFR is a place to share your life, no matter if it is happy, sad, tragic, or lonely. We stand united and stronger, bearing the upcoming days side by side.

Frankly speaking, saying that I am a volunteer is not adequate and precise. I feel more like I am doing the work of a superhero. The super hero who always has time to listen to many struggles and sad stories, and bring colors into gray children’s lives Apart from being a shoulder for crying, we share very happy moments. We have already celebrated more than 5 birthdays, one of them being the association’s 15 years of existence. Each birthday and holiday are celebrated with delicious food and drinks, which we embellish with colorful and sparkly handmade decorations.

As I don’t speak Portuguese, communication has been a bit challenging, but we manage to understand each other by using nonverbal communication. One of the things I usually do at ANFR is help kids with their homework, mostly mathematics, arts, and English. Together with colleagues, we deliver different educational presentations and workshops regarding many topics like violence, healthy lifestyles, sustainability, and others. Furthermore, we play various games, starting from simple ones to more advanced ones, where different values and knowledge can be gained. Lastly, we use street football to develop different skills, like teamwork, self-control, time management, patience, empathy, discipline, and many others. Some of the activities that marked this month were a visit to a professional hairdresser, a movie at a cinema, a visit to local activities, a picnic, and a celebration of Magusto.

My amazing flatmates  and their stunning personalities should not be overlooked. They contribute a lot to my life in Portugal. We spent a lot of time together. We explore all the possibilities Lisbon offers daily. Aside from that, we visited many surrounding cities and beaches. Long conversations in warm and cozy clothes with hot chocolate are my favorites.

Overall, I am really happy to be here and surrounded by amazing people, as well as to be a part of the association and to contribute as much as I can to make the lives of children happier, better, more interesting, and richer when it comes to knowledge and skills because, at the end of the day, don’t we all need someone to bring colors into our lives?

O testemunho final da Silvia (Bola p'ra frente)

 Olá malta! Here is Silvia from Italy!

The word that sounds more in my head in the last weeks is: GRATEFUL.

I am grateful for what I have learned, for the person I am, for all the experiences I made, for all the people I have met and all the discoveries made. Everything will always stay with me, because now I see a completely new version of myself, more mature, more determined, more self-confident, more open-minded and more tolerant. Now I see that all the difficult moments I faced this year were worth it, because I have learned and grown a lot through them and now I am feeling really satisfied with all the experience that Lisbon has been for me. I know that I lived it to the fullest and I did my best both in my volunteering and in my personal life and path. I look at these streets and I know them and they know me.. I am feeling at home, I am feeling in a place where I am comfortable. There is a mixture of known and unknown that surrounds me everyday, and it gives me the comfort of being home, but at the same time the curiosity to discover more.. Until the very last day I never stopped discovering new corners of the city.

Actually, every month of this year was a new discovery. These past 9 months passed so quickly that it seemed like a glimpse of an eye, but, at the same time, they left me with so many emotions, connections, memories and life experiences that it seems more like years have passed. There have been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of beautiful moments,  a lot of moments where I felt lost and in confusion, but I am so glad for everything and everyone... Everyone left me something, teaching me to see things in different ways.

I have learned so much about myself and I will always remember this year as a changing point from the 'old version' to a completely new and grown version of myself. I've learned to leave behind old habits and ways of seeing the world and learned more about tolerance, compassion, taking care and loving. I look back to everything I managed to do, to create, to realize and to overcome in my life, both professionally and personally and I am really proud and glad for every single moment.

In the Association I managed to create different activities and to help in the organization of different projects, both from other associations and other collegues. I was thinking, creating and carrying on every week one or two english games, using the tools of non-formal education, helping them to understand how to learn a new language in a funny and relaxed way. Besides, in May I started some reading sessions of ‘O principezinho’ to think and talk with them about topics such as love, friendship, emotions and respect. Moreover, I helped in the organization of the event ‘Living Library’, aimed to overcome some prejudices and discriminations, for example we talked with our guests about depression, homosexuality, neighborhood stigmas, the war from a Russian point of view, veganism, etc.. In this event I contacted some of the guests, I dealt with them during the day, I helped with some translations and I have been the reference point for both guests and youngsters. Finally, I did an afternoon of cooking lesson to prepare an italian dinner with all of them, in a way to say goodbye to everyone.

In my personal life: I made a lot of new friends and created connections all over the world; I traveled around Portugal visiting new and old places (Porto, Mafra, Lagos, Madeira, Aveiro, Viseu, Ericeira, Sesimbra); I made new experiences, such as partecipating in dance and music events; I discovered and learned how to respect new cultures, such as Arabic or Orthodox culture; I have learned words and sentences in different languages, like Estonian, Turkish, Russian, Moroccan; I expanded my music culture with songs from different countries. Lastly, I have learned to enjoy every single moment with every single person, because it’s not forever: I had to say a lot of bye byes especially in the last 2 months. 

Even if this is the end of this experience and the last weeks in Lisbon has been full of bye byes and last moments, I want to remember that these past 9 months gave me also a lot of first times. For example: first time sharing a room, first time working with kids abroad and in another language, first time teaching English to kids, first time sharing an apartment with people from 6 different nationalities, first time facing a serious illness for months (on my own, in a foreign country), first time living in a big city, first time taking the metro every day, first time listening to some languages (estonian, basque, ukranian, georgian etc.), and so on... All of these new experiences showed me the world from another perspective: I will never be the same Silvia, now my horizons have widened.

I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I know that this experience changed me a lot and, facing some wonderful and some difficult moments, made me stronger and more self-confident. As I read in a book: life doesn’t get easier, it’s about you becoming stronger and more powerful, so this experience will be a teaching and inspiration for everything that is going to arrive for me in the future and now I know that I am more than ready to start a new chapter, wherever it’s going to be. I wish all of you the best and I thank again everyone that made this experience incredible and life-changing!

Beijinhos,
 
Silvia.

O testemunho No. 2 da Silvia (Bola p'ra frente)

Hey, Silvia’s back!

Now it’s almost 6 months I am here in Lisbon... WOW! So many things has happened...

But First I want to start with a question my flatemate asked me yesterday: A year ago would you have expected to be at this point of your life now? NO. I decided exactly one year ago that I wanted to do this experience, but I would have never imagined it would have been so fulfilling and enriching. Lisbon teaches me how to enjoy the moment without stressing out about the future or the past: just let life flow. Even when there is no plans, this city is so lively that you will never feel bored or lonely.

I look back at the pictures and at all the moments I have been living in the past few months and it seems like years has passed from when I arrived in November. There has been ups and downs, like the streets of this city, but after a steep road, you know that there will always be a wonderful landscape and miradouro waiting for you. Maybe you will make an effort at the beginning but then this city will marvel you with its beauty. 

One of the beauties of Lisbon are the people... because here you can meet the world, it’s like traveling without traveling ahahahh. I’ve discovered a lot of cultures, languages and traditions. I had the chance to meet people from different parts of the world, and besides the cultural differences, it felt like what connects us it’s more than what divides us. I am glad for every single wonderful soul I had the chance to meet here.

Last but not least, my project: from February and March I’ve started to get more confidence with portuguese, so also with kids and youngsters. With the help of some collegues I’ve started to teach english, always trying  to find funny activities and games, in order to learn by having fun. Moreover, I am everyday helping and supporting more and more the team. 

I am very grateful for the chance of living this experience and I can’t wait for what I am still going to learn and encounter on my path here in Lisbon.

Até à proxima!

O testemunho No. 1 da Silvia (Bola p'ra frente)

Olá! 
My name is Silvia, I am 23 years old and I am from Italy.

This is my second time living in Portugal and it isn’t the first time I see Lisbon... When 2 years ago I arrived in Lisbon for the first time I immediately felt that this city had something special: the light, the people, the colors, the miradouros, the weather... 

I didn’t know yet, but I wanted to discover it, so I knew that I would have lived here somehow at some point in my life: here I am! I didn’t aspect this moment would have arrived so quickly, but the first time I saw this ESC opportunity I knew it would have been my path because it was perfectly fitting with me and with what I was needed at this point in my life (plus the location was, of course, an upside!). 
After my bachelor's, I decided I wanted to experience more and study less because I’ve always preferred the idea of ‘learning by doing ’.

The first day I arrived at the Volunteer House, I immediately felt home: they welcomed me with a funny drawing of my new family and with a delicious breakfast with pancakes, fruit, and tea, and that was the best thing I needed after a flight. 

A few days after my arrival, I started to volunteer for ANFR (Associação Nacional de Futebol de Rua), and also there I felt really welcomed! In the beginning, the only problem was the language, but after a few weeks, understanding became much easier, and also talking became easier day by day. I really like spending time with kids and adolescents, playing games, talking, laughing, creating arts, helping them with homework etc.. 

I hope I’ll be able to leave a bigger impact on this association, helping them with English classes or with some of my skills that can be useful for them. In this short time here in Lisbon a lot of things had happened: I’ve met so many people, I’ve got to know so many different lifestyles and cultures, I’ve heard so many new languages, I’ve listened to so many new songs, I’ve had a lot of fun with so many laughs and hugs.

I am really glad for everything, but one of the things I am most grateful for in my Lisbon life are my flatmates from Casa Bernardim, we created a wonderful family: we are there for each other in every moment, I know I can always count on them... Even if we are all from different nationalities we get along very well, so I am feeling really lucky for this! And I am really glad for all the wonderful people I’ve met that already made my experience so special!

Well, Lisbon has already been full of new experiences, growth, teachings, and connections I will always be grateful for, so I can’t wait to live this moment of my life and this opportunity to the fullest! I’m ready for all the adventures and discoveries that will come in the next months!

Até já! Beijinhos!

O testemunho No. 3 do Nabil (Bola p’ra Frente)

I blinked my eyes and in an instant, my ESC project had passed ☹.

Now, it’s time to assess my experience. Since my first day, I fell in love with this beautiful city, its atmosphere, food, and people. Regardless of all the given circumstances, I'm quite sure I had a better experience. 

I'd made a couple of observations about my ESC project and I'd say number one is that experience has turbocharged my capacity to develop activities in ways that I had never imagined before.So, you can always make an enormous difference when you put yourself in such a challenging situation.

Number 2, I learned and understand the power of moving people along, listen and helping them. That’s how you end up ultimately forging bonds.

Point number 3, the daily work at Bola p'ra frente has given a fresh impetus to me for continuing working on social and youth issues after the project. For this reason, I decided to keep up my volunteering work for the association.

ESC is a kinda program that I strongly recommend to everyone especially after getting graduated from the university because I highly believe that it is quite important to experience giving to the community much more than receiving.

Coming to Portugal as an ESC volunteer was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my whole life. It has opened the door for a better future for me.

I would like to thank the National Association of Street Soccer (my family), and the SPIN association from the bottom of my heart for this golden opportunity you provided me with.

This is not the end; this is just the beginning.

Nabil DRAOUI

Shukran!