Testemunho da Anastasiya - Roménia, Projeto ''Solidarity in the Nocrich Community

 

Hello everyone,

 ''O ano que passei como voluntária na Roménia num Centro Internacional de Escoteiros, inicialmente, como short-term e continuando como long-term, foi uma experiência fantástica, que me deu a oportunidade de desenvolver novas competências, aprender uma nova língua e conhecer novas pessoas.

Experimentei um novo tipo de artesanato, a cerâmica/olaria, que me permitiu desenvolver competências artísticas. Aprendi muito com os escoteiros, em termos de aprendizagens práticas. 

    Desenvolvemos atividades com as crianças da localidade local, dirigidas para temas sobre a sustentabilidade ambiental, como também  atividades de escutismo.

Foi um ano cheio de oportunidades e aprendizagem, pelo qual eu estou bastante grata e pelas pessoas que me ajudaram nesse percurso.

O testemunho No. 3 da Valentina (Viver Telheiras)

 

October gave me a lot of reflection time. Having just celebrated the end of our mini festival Telheiras em Movimento, dedicated to the promotion of sustainability in our neighbourhood, with guided bike rides, expositions, open air movie screenings, debates, a flea market and various artistic events and displays, the beginning of the month came with the realisation that I will soon leave Lisbon, my project and my friends behind. 

In the months since my last update, I have started helping in a food waste reduction cooperative, designed posts for our Instagram account (@vivertelheiras), participated in working meetings in preparation of our festival and learned more about sustainable urban projects through webinars facilitated by the Municipalities in Transition Network.

Having lived a year in Lisbon, I feel grateful for all the experiences I've had, the people it brought into my life and the ways in which I've been changed. Learning you are able to build a life elsewhere (navigate different administrative, health, housing systems, improving your Portuguese language skills and being immersed into various working environments) is gratifying. I continue to feel thankful to the people of Viver Telheiras and Parceria Local de Telheiras for having welcomed me so warmly and given me this many opportunities to learn and get involved. I will continue to follow their work from afar, and hope to reunite some time in the future.

Este tempo fortaleceu-me, rodeou-me de pessoas boas e cheias de vida e sabedoria, deu nuancas aos meus conhecimentos, encheu-me de duvidas e da certeza que conheco menos do que pensava. Que e sempre bom relembrar. Ate aproxima! 

O testemunho do Tavi No. 3 (Associação Spin)

 

Hey! I’m Tavi, a 23 year old guy from Romania. For the past 12 months I’ve been working as a volunteer at the Spin office.

I will keep it short and sweet since I’ve been the one publishing testimonies during the last months so I feel I’ve read everything there is to read about volunteering experiences.

I think the almost all the clichés about  European volunteering apply to me. I will sound like a paid advertisement for ESC but I really developed my skills, became more independent, put more my ideas into practice etc. The only thing I didn’t improve in this project is my English. I think it’s worse now.

Working there is different for each volunteer but I’ve been lucky enough to do mostly things I like (drawing on the Spin hostel wall, making illustrations, editing videos and interviews).

Here are some highlights of my time in Portugal:

-random live music and dancing at miradoros where lots of hippies just come together

-going to museums not because I like them, but just to check them off the list

-absolutely insane huge waves compared to the tiny black sea ones

-house parties that inevitably get interrupted by the police

-discovering a million types of vegan food I never wanted to know

-hanging out with everyone on the weekend at the beach

I couldn’t have asked for more. I am truly grateful for this opportunity and to all my friends here who have made this experience unforgettable, even during a pandemic.

O testemunho da Valentina No. 2 (Viver Telheiras)

During the month of February I kept a journal of everything I did. Consulting it before writing this second testimony, I realise I have been having a very active life here in Lisbon. It is very hard to believe that I'm getting close to the middle mark of my ESC journey. The beginning of this year has been, unsurprisingly, filled with yet more novelty and various challenges, and somewhere along the line I realised I feel at home here, in my not so new life. 

The environment and the issues I was facing made me develop new priorities about what's to come as well as new daily habits. I now cook in olive oil, willingly buy peanut butter and broccoli, have stopped enjoying abatanados (previously my regular coffee order in Romania) and have a delegated, favourite spot at the 
metro. 

 
I continue to enjoy my work, and the diverse situations I find myself part of. Some of the tasks I am in charge of include posting on our instagram accounts (I definitely recommend following @vivertelheiras & @festivaldetelheiras to keeping up with our latest activities and ideas), working with children in vegetable gardens, helping out during quiz nights at the community centre, doing administrative work, participating in multiple working groups and organising various events (including recently a week dedicated to women's role in society, with performances, film screenings and discussions, organised in collaboration with other NGOs). We've also built shelves for our upcoming neighbourhood resource sharing centre and sawn pillowcases for the children's reading group in the residents' association.

Outside of my work, I participated in debates, group talks, civic manifestations and meetings with other NGOs. I also joined a roller derby team (surprisingly, it is something I enjoy and can become good at), went on hikes, visited galleries and museums, and traveled alone and with friends. While I wasn't able to continue doing this during the isolation period, I have been exploring other resources in order to add depth to my Portuguese culture and language knowledge: I have been watching historical fiction series, listened to podcasts about social memory and politics, read books written by Portuguese, Angolan and Mozambican authors and watched the ongoing debates in the Brazilian and Portuguese legislative bodies. 

The quarantine period took some adjusting to and some days are still challenging; however, it also allowed for time to reflect about the fortunate position we're in to have economic, housing and employment safety, observe the situation unfold from a warm place, and think about what a desirable new normal could look like. 

O testemunho do Tavi No. 2 (Associação Spin)

Writing the testimony is a perfect way to reflect about what I done in those past 5 months in Lisbon.  If you aksed me 5 months ago what I would be doing now, I could have never guessed.  

My main duty at Spin has been video editing and making promotional material. Because of this I got to take part in so many random activities. I never really know my tasks will take me. I got to film birds in the delta with the SPEA volunteers, a neighborhood tour with Erasmus students, highschool presentations on the other side of the river and much more.

Filming has never really been my passion but I got to do so much of it, I kind of enjoy it now.

This whole time spent in Lisbon has been a great chance for me to try out all the things I’ve always wanted but never got the chance todo. I got to do grafitti in abandoned places, do open mic stand-up and I also got to play in improvisation theatre. This may sound cliche but living in Llisbon has really opened a billion doors for me.

The things that matter the most though are the friends that I’ve met here. I was lucky enough to find some people I really got along with. The times I will remember most are all the time spent together going to events, hikes, bars, traveling and just talking about random stupid things.

Writing this makes me feel really grateful for this chance that I have. It also makes me realise that time goes by too fast. Half of my ESC has passed by and there is still so many things I wanna do!

O testemunho da Valentina No. 1 (Viver Telheiras)

The first two months into my Lisbon and ESC experience have brought a lot change to my life. I have left my very demanding and deadline-oriented job in a multinational in my home country not too long before starting my volunteering year in Portugal. The work pace changed, and the tasks have varied. After getting to know the organisation I'm volunteering at and its strong connection to the neighbourhood I work in, I started taking part in permaculture/urban agriculture workshops with children from the schools around, art workshops at the community centre, held a number of meetings in Portuguese about future projects and have helped organise our working space for various events. 

The experience also came with a new living arrangement which brought me a new roommate and a number of hostel, and later, flat mates, who became my meal cooking supervisors, flea market companions and travel buddies. Similarly, the on arrival training for volunteers at the start of their projects connected me with other friends to keep in touch with and visit.

It's a challenge which undoubtedly will take you out of your confort zone and make you face obstacles for which otherwise you wouldn't have prepared. I remember feeling the frustration of not speaking the language at the level I wanted to (still do), and how much of an impediment it brings to daily life; likewise, navigating a new health system with all its bureaucracy whilst in unfortunate circumstances reinforces how much of a privilege familiarity and citizenship status are.

Lastly, even away from friends and family, I oftentimes felt incredibly grateful for the opportunity I've been given. I've felt inspired by and enjoyed my work, I went on hikes/trips with people who shared my joy for nature, I've joined some groups which work for the same causes I would support at home, participated in manifestations, and have queued up my reading list, which I plan to go through with my library card. 

O testemunho do Tavi

Hello! This is Tavi, from Romania. I have just started my ESC experience in Lisbon!

What made me come here? Well, when I was 18 my older brother forced me to go on an Erasmus+ funded youth exchange and I’ve been trying to go on these kinds of experiences ever since. It blew my mind there is a whole world outside my country with cool people in it. I knew that as soon as I finished university I would go to an ESC, a hundred percent! I chose Portugal because I’ve met a lot of cool Portuguese people and it just seemed like a nice place.

I studied English and French literature and my main thing is art. I can make pretty and weird illustrations. I also have some education skills since I’ve been teaching English to kids for a while now. I think I can be useful and I really liked the freedom Spin gives its volunteers. I’ll need to get super involved but I know I’ll learn a lot from it!

As I arrived at the airport once of my fellow volunteers (Ana from Croatia) picked me up and showed my accommodation so I didn’t have to worry about anything! I got to meet my 8 roommates and I am excited about getting to know them.

The following day I went to Spin and got to know my team-members too. Together with Ines (our coordinator) we went over our responsibilities. We then had an amazing lunch together. We also got to see the Padre Cruz neighbourhood and all the stunning murals! Wowowow!

All in all, it was stunning. Lisbon is great and it feels more and more like home every day I am here. It’s hard to describe all these feelings but I know this is the just the beginning of a journey.

Project “ACT together” in Romania part.3

The month of June started with a event to celebrate the Children day in the 1st of June in one of the bigger squares of the city, with the participation of the volunteers from ACT together, supported by the colleagues from Action Changes Things, other group of volunteers that have another project in Asociatia Comunitati pentru Tineret. During this day, the volunteers had the chance to provide to children and youth a day of joy, fun and full of amusement. Team games, dancing and having the chance to listen to music played by some volunteers.

Since one of the goals is to spread the Erasmus + opportunities as much as possible, the volunteers went to Bailesti, a small city in the surrounding area of Craiova to spread the benefits that, such an experience as volunteering, can change their lives for better.

As an association that tries to promote team work and cooperation as ACT does, ACT Together also made part of some of the final activities of their colleagues from Action Changes Things in their last moments with some of their beneficiaries. A gracious chance to work with disadvantage beneficiaries which gave them an idea of this particular community and experience that, for sure, they will use in the future.

Language clubs continue to be provided for the interested beneficiaries in a weekly schedule, with english, french, spanish, portuguese, greek and georgian as example. With this sessions, both, the volunteers and the beneficiaries had improved  personal skills that could be quite useful for both. Also guitar lessons started to be given by on of our talented volunteers.

After establish a good relation with the stakeholders and beneficiaries of Bailesti, ACT Together did an event so they could interact, entertain, share they’re work and capacity to bring such a wonderful opportunity for the beneficiaries that could be, to became a volunteer.

With the period of summer and the consequent start of holidays in schools, the volunteers start also to start personal development activities and working with a more eclectic community, such an example is the Aripi de Lumina social center where they implement activities nowadays, an institution that works for youth coming from families with few resources.

Helping children to learn how to swim and to bring them joy in such an environment as a swimming pool can supply, gave them the chance also to improve some children opportunities to have beautiful moments together. Responsibility, sense help and pedagogic skills are only a few capabilities developed.

Videos, tutorials, lives on social networks are tools that the volunteers have been developing and presenting in the previous days on their online platforms. Their experience must be spread, so could be easier to understand the privilege of being a volunteer.

More surprises are coming until the end of the project and the motivation to reach the goals won’t stop!

Project "ACT together" in Romania part.2

Our Portuguese participant Marisa is on the volunteering project in Romania from beginning of March. First part of associations report you can find here.

After two weeks of stoppage regarding the Easter holidays, ACT Together is already at full power again.

The beginning of the third month of the project, was toasted with European Week, from the 6th till the 9th of may, and it was proposed to the volunteers to approach this thematic in a wider spectrum in the institutions. During this week, the volunteers were doing interviews to some beneficiaries as well as to others volunteers. This interviews were regarding issues like European Union, our organization as a continent and the personal perceive and perspective of democracy in Europe. They were recorded and publish on Europe's day, the 9th of may on social platforms they used to work with as Facebook or Instagram.


Part of the team was, at the same time, having their on-arrival training at Bucharest, during the first week after holidays where they were receiving this important process of learning to help them to support their colleges, team output, personal development and be more prepared do face the challenge of their own project.

After the first presentation at Bals, the work proceed in this school with the next steps, the explanation of the necessary details about European Solidarity Corps, with all the process of becoming a volunteer being described and the fundamental ways to enroll in the platform of ESC. Once is a volatile project, and has the interest of reaching a large number of beneficiaries in different institutions, the work to establish new partnerships and possible institutions doesn't stop. Example of that are the schools where the volunteers started to work with during this month. Liceul Voltaire, Energy Technical College, Tudor Arghezi High School, Scoala Gimnaziala Traian and Tudor Arghezi High School in Segarcea. In all of this institutions the volunteers started to present the association, following the presentation of themselves and the project they are working with, and started the activities regarding the objectives of the project. During the past weeks of the month, all this institutions had the chance to receive ACT Together team in person.

Depending on their specifications, the method of establish the meetings and the activities have been  adapted and built to reach the maximum potential of the project goals. Interviews, debates and interactive gam
es have been examples of some methods used. Since the proactivity and ambition don't stop, the volunteers also did an approach to the University of Craiova, so it can also, possibly become one more community of interest where they could collaborate.

All the possible interested beneficiaries have been addressed to have some extra support regarding possible enrolls as future volunteers, for that, the ACT Together volunteers received some beneficiaries in their office, with the purpose of complementing doubts, curiosities, questions and additional information that could help them to be more clear about local or international volunteering opportunities.

In the following weeks they will keep to raise awareness of the volunteering life, the ESC promotion, try to enroll more volunteers in the Solidarity Corps platform and reach as much youth as they could.

Project ACT together - report from Romania part.1

ACT Together project is already underway.

The project started in the beginning of March with only 4 volunteers and we complete the team the first week of April. In that moment we count on 10 internationals volunteers.

For all of them, the part of community discovery is done. The volunteers met the management team and with the mentor help, they got to know the city better. Also, at the institutional level they were involved in the meetings to arrange the activities. In this moment they establish directly with the teachers and with the students in charge of the activities the weekly schedule. That has provided them an added responsibility and a higher involvement in the project.

The first part of the team was in charge to create all the materials that we need to make the promotions and the presentations in the schools:
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/acttogethercraiova/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acttogethercraiova/?hl=en

They also designed their poster, logo, flyers and a presentation model based on non- formal education. During one week they worked alongside our other project Action Changes Things, that started in January. In this week they took part in the activities of this project getting a better understanding of how non formal education works and what can provide to the students and then adapted this knowledge to their own activities and objectives.

Once they had their promotional material ready, it was time to start with the presentation of the project, in four high schools in Craiova and another one in the surroundings of the city. The results of this first interaction were even better than expected and the volunteers not only presented their project in the centres but also met with the most involved students in our office since they manifested a true interest in taking part in volunteering projects and Youth Exchanges during this summer. This has increased the energy of the volunteers that now see possible to involve even more youngsters than predicted at the beginning of the project.

The first group volunteers also took part the On Arrival Training in Bucharest during this month. In this training they participated in sessions that gave them a more clear picture of what volunteering means, of how to approach their beneficiaries and their communities and provided them really useful tools to accomplish their goals during this six months such new kinds of activities, improving their social skills and become more self-confident. The training has been also a great opportunity for them to learn new kinds of activities and meet with other volunteers which allowed them to share their experience and learn from others.

In this month has also taken place the volunteering festival in Craiova. This huge event involved several associations based in Craiova that work with international volunteers from the European Solidarity Corps. During the whole day they promoted their projects providing the public with information about their projects, samples of their activities and different shows such us concerts or flash mobs. In this day managed to reach to a lot of people that didn't had a clue about volunteering and Erasmus+ and opened the door for further collaboration between the associations of the city.

During the last week before holidays the volunteers participated in several events in different sorts of centers, sometimes doing their regular activities and other times helping the centers and the teachers to do their own. Finally, the whole team participated in the Capacity Building Program. In this program the volunteers participated in sessions given by the managing team of the organization. In these sessions they received new information and guidance about the meaning and the goals of the project, the volunteering itself, the way the project can be an excellent opportunity to develop their skills and learn new things and how to deal with the difficulties that will find in their way during this six months. They also learnt how to use the flexibility of the project for their advantage having the chance to think about new kinds of activities and events that can help them accomplish their goals while providing them with new experiences.