SVE da Vânia em La Zubia

Hola que tal?

Faz exactamente hoje oito meses que saí do Aeroporto da Portela – Lisboa, para dar inicio a esta aventura. Isto significa também que a partir de hoje tenho apenas um mês para terminar o meu projecto SVE, ou melhor a minha experiência SVE. Gosto mais de lhe chamar experiência, porque a verdade é que o SVE vai muito além do projecto definido, é uma experiência de vida. 

Parece que foi ontem que cheguei a este pueblo chamado La Zubia, colado a Granada (uma cidade apaixonante) que conheci as minhas companheiras de casa, de quem tenho tantas saudades. Tornámo-nos uma família, e isso é o que de mais importante levo desta experiencia, as relações, com as minhas companheiras de casa, com as pessoas da Fundacão onde estou a desenvolver o meu projecto, e mais umas tantas, com outras pessoas que conheci por aqui, e com outros voluntários.

Estes nove meses estão a passar a correr, a casa onde vivo aqui em La Zubia tornou-se a minha casa desde os primeiros tempos. Na Fundação, conheci pessoas fantásticas desde a minha tutora, às educadoras, às usuárias, à professora de Espanhol, e também por lá me sinto um bocadinho em casa. 

Basicamente La Zubia é um pueblo muito perto de Granada, onde se vive muito bem, temos de tudo por aqui. A nossa casa está muito perto da Fundação.  Na Docete Omnes  o trabalho que realizamos é basicamente acompanhar as usuárias/os, com perturbações no desenvolvimento cognitivo e motor, no centro ocupacional. Existem agora três talleres onde as ajudamos a realizar as mais diversas actividades, um de reciclagem, um de pintura e um de costura. Faz também parte das minhas tarefas ajudar as usuárias no refeitório. Normalmente durante a manhã realizam-se tarefas nos talleres, e depois do almoço fazemos jogos e bailes. 

É bom estar por aqui. Granada é uma cidade encantadora.  

Durante o meu SVE fiz duas formações, uma na Extremadura, e outra na região de Murcia. Foram muito gratificantes, conheci outros voluntários com quem partilhei inúmeras experiências, e também formadores fantásticos. A partilha de experiências, o conhecimento de novas e diferentes culturas é muito interessante. 

No geral, o balanço do meu SVE é muito positivo, conheci pessoas novas e vivi coisas novas, está a ser algo muito enriquecedor tanto a nível pessoal, como profissional, uma vez que o meu trabalho na Fundação está relacionado com a minha área de formação. 

Nos últimos três meses os colegas de casa mudaram, conheci novas pessoas, e nem sempre foi fácil, mas tudo se acabou por resolver e também isso faz parte, e nos ajuda a crescer e a aprender. 

Sinto-me uma pessoa mais rica depois desta experiência, e isso também se deve ao apoio da Spin, que sempre esteve disponível e contribuiu para que a minha experiência corresse tão bem. Ainda bem que quando ouvi falar em Voluntariado Europeu tive a oportunidade de embarcar nesta aventura. Creio que todos os Jovens o deviam experimentar, porque ganhamos muito com esta experiência.

Por agora tenho mais um mês por aqui, para disfrutar o SVE, e como diz uma das pessoas mais importantes que conheci por aqui, o SVE é o inicio e não o fim, por isso resta-me dizer Hasta Luego e que voy echar de menos tudo o que vivi e aprendi por aqui.

Vânia Vilhena Xavier

FOR ALL EVS CANDIDATES

FOR ALL EVS CANDIDATES

(1st October 2012 deadline):

After a long and hard process, the selection of the successful applicants for the "Euro@ction in Carnide III" and "Spinning in Lisbon" EVS projects, coordinated and hosted respectively by SPIN, is over!

                         

Between July 31st and August 29th more than 500 enthusiastic young people, from Martinique to Kazakhstan and from United Kingdom to Uganda, expressed their interest in being 1 out of the 6 lucky people joining the 2 EVS programmes in Lisbon on 2013! Although Spin's staff tried its best, the selection process was really long, especially because of the constant flow of applications every day! We had the pleasure to read some wonderful motivation letters and receive really impressive CVs but its always frustrating having to choose just some out of so many worthy people. After a "psychologically painful" process we had to choose those 6 lucky people fitting more to what we have been looking for these positions. We would like to congratulate the successful applicants and we are waiting for them in Lisbon! However the worth of the successful applicant is increased by the worth of those who didn't make it! We wish all the best to the non accepted applicants and, based on their applications, we are sure that they will not have difficulties finding a great EVS opportunity fulfilling their goals!

Thank you all for your kind interest and don't stop chasing your dreams!

With our kindest regards,

Spin's staff

Workshop international "How to train your pen - story crafting and word bending for novices"

How to train your pen - story crafting and word bending for novices
a
Creative Writing Grundtvig Workshop
imagined to take place in Lisbon between the 9th and 17th of November this year.

To narrate is to create, for living is just being lived

(Narrar é criar, pois viver é apenas ser vivido)

Fernando Pessoa

We believe this is true. We also think that imagination (the creative one) is the most important tool to do so. Than again, to invoke the power of imagination is just a phrase substituting a whole world that needs to be explained. Hope you agree that nobody simply sits down at a desk, "invokes the power of imagination" and writes. Our curiosity is what goes on before and behind all that jazz, and what makes all the magic happen. We despise tricks and techniques that "improve your writing skills" so that you can produce seducing stories that serve for the mere amusement of mases.

We don't promise secrets that will give birth to a future bestselling author (except you can guarantee us a percentage). Our sincere interest is elsewhere. We crave to understand the "creative" processes behind the act of writing so that we learn how to use them in a proper way in order to create, not entertain or make a living out of it.

There are many questions that intrigue us. Why do we write, why read, where does inspiration come from, how is someone creative and others not? Then, what to read so that we can write in this or that way, what to write about and when and for whom? How to write?

If you think in a similar manner, and you are puzzled with many (or more) questions like we are, then, we invite you to come to Lisbon for some days and together we explore all that stuff. Note that we don't have all answers. We hope that you can help, so we will encourage that everyone investigates in his or hers own depths. How good you write is up to you - where to search for all that goodness - we can assist.

Remember that "the train slows down", as Pessoa will notice, "it's the Cais do Sodré. I arrived to Lisbon, but not to a conclusion". So don't expect miracles. Expect to leave with nothing but Lisbon in your heart. And a load of questions that (hopefully) will bring about to inspire creative outcomes that will prove you are a person, not a typing machine.

Still not completely discouraged? If you are really interested and fancy a more formal description, check the link below if you. There you can find the application as well.

You have time to read all this and to submit the application until 20th of September. We will make the selection based mostly on person's motivations behind their will to participate.

Call for Participants
Learner Application Form

Curso de formação "Communication and Conflict Management for Peace Education"

Para saber mais: aqui

Download da ficha de participação

Empreendedorismo para a mudança social – Curso de Formação em Tarragona, Espanha

Estão abertas as inscrições para o curso de formação Empreendedorismo para a mudança social, que vai ter lugar de 13 a 21 de Outubro em Tarragona, Espanha!

          

O método de trabalho primordial será a educação não formal, nomeadamente através de role playing, trabalho em grupo, discussões interactivas, workshops, entre outros. Os países participantes serão: Estónia, Espanha, Roménia,  Portugal, Lituânia e Bulgária.

Os participantes devem ser:

- Jovens professors/educadores ou um trabalhador na área da juventude com interesse por este tema.

- Com a capacidade de comunicar em inglês

Todas as despesas estão cobertas, excepto 30% da viagem e uma quota de participação de 35€ a cargo do participante.

Envia a tua candidatura até 3 de Setembro! Não percas esta oportunidade única!

Para mais informações, contactar: 217145520, 
914519264, intercambios.spin@gmail.com

SVE em Lisboa - Ana Dishlieska - Mitova

It's already half way through my EVS in Portugal. The first months passed, so the period of fascination and adaptation are more or less over :) It has almost been five months of life transforming experiences bringing many good things to my life. As Theresa, Kaja and Gilles, I'm a volunteer of the Junta de Freguesia de Carnide (one of Lisbon's most famous municipalities), more specifically - working at a local school in one of its neighborhoods. The Junta has its own spaces in the school where the main idea is creating a space where informal education can be nourished side by side to the formal one the children get in the school. In reality, it is an after school activity program having the regular working day (14-19p.m.) with the children coming to the ATL, now called EJ (Espaco Jovem), and after finishing their homework doing various activities: from playing games (such as cards or monopoly) or doing sports outside, to some more elaborate activities if prepared by the ones working with them. Daily, I directly work with only one person, and often with interns who come for shorter times making a part of the life in the EJ.

In the beginning it was really hard not knowing the language while in the same time feeling the pressure to learn it as quick as possible so as to be able to function better there and give more than take. But on the other hand, this was a great stimulus, and also the fact being in the midst of the local community, made me the favor of learning the language so quick out of a scratch so as to be able to say that I already speak it now :)

The most beautiful thing in all of it, were and are the children. It was from them, more than from any Portuguese class, that I learned the language, and I cannot be more thankful for all the patience they had with me and the time they gave me learning along with them. Until the summer I have been working with children from the second cycle, meaning 11-13 years old, but from September on I'll most probably be with the ones of the first cycle (8-10), which I think is a better idea for this and every following project, at least for the beginning, simply because of the language barrier. The bigger children not just wish, but also need to speak on that age at least as much as they wanna play, and unfortunately that time, I could not give that to them as much as they deserved or needed it. A bad thing was that at times I didn't feel the support needed from the Junta or my tutor, and many times ended up stuck with communication issues and barriers. Still, I think that these are part of the things that can be worked out better next times and that all these experiences serve up to improving every following project to come. The way I personally dealt with it was trying to pave my way by at first, carefully observing the environment I'm in, the people I'm working with and the ways things are done there, and only after that, try to find subtle and clever ways of getting things done the best way possible in the given circumstances and environment. I think that it was one of the keys making me keep the smile in the end of the day :) And concerning the language thing, proposing and organizing creative activities is always a good plan. That was the best way to get to the children while still having a long way ahead for getting the language and also to bring a bit more of the informal education idea in the EJ other than simply being a monitor, or someone taking care of the children until their parents pick them up. By now I organized an architecture workshop, a little and simple atelier for fashion design and some getting-to-know-the-guitar atelier, which all proved to be great ways of connecting with the children and having fun together while making activities which as much were a learning experience, were also enjoyable. And for such a thing I believe everyone has their little talents and ideas which can be shaped in these or similar forms and offered to the children as possibilities for new fun learning experiences.

At the moment, I'm part of the Junta's summer colonies or summer camps, so I'm a monitor responsible for 7-9 children which as much enjoyable, to be true exhausting too :), at times can also be tricky, because of the simple fact that as much as in the beginning sounded romantic the idea of being considered as equals, in practice turns out to be pretty much impossible, even now when already speaking the language, because for me naturally it still asks much more effort from my side to get the same job done and holding the same responsibility as a paid person coming from Portugal.

In the end, I find my EVS an amazing life learning experience, and I consider that all the little 'falhas' can and will be improved through the experience gained making it even more enjoyable for every side with time. The worthiest thing in it, as I said, are definitely the children :) Getting to know them personally, having the opportunity to bring a smile or two on their faces, and also having the chance to be reminded about some things which we might have forgotten on our way of growing up to the world of the adults, is priceless. To me, they are the most precious thing of my working experience and an amazingly big part of my experience here as a whole. They are the ones in the end of the day making all this experience perfectly worthy! :) And for the rest of the EVS, I think it will speak for itself once in here ;) Lisboa is an amazing city with all its colorful spirit and the big heart it has, also having to meet all the beautiful people I met in here with whom I share this experience, for sure makes it one of those experiences in life that grows you, and I believe grows you for good.

Ana Dishlieska - Mitova

SVE em Lisboa – Theresa Hall

My EVS project is based at the Gabinete do Idoso (department for senior citizens) at the Junta de Freguesia de Carnide. I work mostly in the Academia Senior, which offers educational classes and social activities, and with ARPIC, and independent organisation for retired people. I am really enjoying this project because everyone has made me feel very welcome and a part of the community. My tasks are quite varied but are generally connected to helping with social events and assisting with classes or workshops, for example: participating in trips around Portugal; organising lunches; a soup festival; arts and crafts; meetings with local groups who work with the elderly; learning the “cavaquinho” with the music group; and even a bar crawl!

The best activity so far has been the summer camps which we run for four weeks, taking 100 people to the beach in the morning and a cultural activity in the afternoon. I am constantly amazed at the energy these old people have, and their enthusiasm for silly games! I had never worked with old people before, and I am definitely changing any preconceptions I had about old age being boring. Most of the people I work with are still very active, so I rarely have to “look after” anyone; my role is more to provide company and conversation, and a willingness to join in with whatever activity we are doing.

I think the atmosphere of the project is generally very relaxed, except for when we have a big event. I work 9.30-5.30 every weekday, so it is structured almost like a job, however the pace of the work is quite slow. There are 2 full-time staff in the centre, as well as some temporary interns and the teachers.  I think the most important thing for the next volunteer is that you make an effort with learning Portuguese. Without the language it is still possible to contribute to the project and to help with almost all the activities, however you won’t be able to take as much from the project – a really valuable part for me has been communicating with the older people and they have lots of interesting stories to tell about Portugal and about their lives.

Theresa Hall