ACTING LOCAL CHANGING GLOBAL

Project presentation

 

The Portuguese Red Cross Youth is going to host eleven young volunteers for 12 months starting in May 2022 in the cities of Braga, Cucujães, Fafe, Guimarães and Vale de Cambra in an European Solidarity Corps volunteering called Acting Local, Changing Global. During this year, these volunteers will carry out different activities that aim to foster solidarity in children and youngsters, not only amongst themselves, but also towards every human being, regardless of nationality, gender or race. Volunteers will carry out activities in order to work effectively in the social inclusion of children and vulnerable young people living in these communities. At the same time they will develop their own personal and social skills. Our aim is to include the volunteers in the projects of these Portuguese Red Cross youth structures if they feel motivated, but also allow their participation when it comes to event planning, social media and communication activities and even motivate them to create their own projects and develop their ideas among our communities. All the activities will deal with topics that are of prime concern in the youth field: health promotion and education, such as eating habits, alcohol and drug abuse, or promoting physical activity. They will also promote school inclusion especially through digital skills and non-formal educational activities. Volunteers will promote actions in schools; develop leisure activities; develop and help organizing sports and learning activities during holidays, free time, but also during school time. As one of our volunteers you will be given the structure and support to completely shape your volunteering experience as you see fit. The organization will empower and enable the volunteers to empower and enable others in order to promote diversity. They will be allowed to implement their skills to best effect whilst also being afforded the opportunity to develop new competences. As well as participating in the work already implemented here, the volunteers will also be encouraged to develop their own ideas and personal projects to further enrich the organization in line with the six areas of intervention:

• Health Promotion and Health Education: adoption of healthy habits and behaviors as part of individual and social development of young people;
• Intervention for Inclusion and Gender Equality: inclusion of children and young people in situations of social exclusion through programs and projects based in different social realities;
• Education for Development and International Cooperation: promotion of Humanitarian Values and International Cooperation through social awareness, Human Rights and Children and Education for peace and development.;
• Employability, entrepreneurship and active citizenship: skills development, entrepreneurship and the exercise of one’s own role in society, especially through volunteering;
• Environmental education: adoption of environmental habits and attitudes through programs and projects that raise awareness towards a more ecological planet;
• Humanitarian education: adoption of civic behaviors and development of personal and social skills and attitudes that respect diversity and human rights, through projects and activities that raise awareness on humanitarian values for young people towards a culture of peace and non-violence.
  

The work carried out by the Portuguese Red Cross Youth and its different local branches is continuously developing, meaning new possibilities will constantly arise in which the volunteer can participate, therefore they will be required to be FLEXIBLE in order to meet the changing needs of the organization as well as highly motivated to try new things and get involved.

 

Profile of the volunteer

• Between 18 – 30 years;
• Genuine interest in youth work, social and educational issues;
  
• Flexible and reliable
• Motivated to live in Portugal for a full year
• Ability to work in multi-lingual/multi-cultural environment;
• Should be interested and predisposed in working with vulnerable and disadvantaged young people and children;
• Able to work in a team environment but also able to take his/her own initiatives;
• Genuine interest in being useful to others rather than just the will of “adventure”
• Should be curious, open-minded, responsible, creative;
• Should have good communication and empathy skills with children and young people;
• Able to support and stimulate different types of leisure activity, from indoor to outdoor activities;
• Compentences in artistic expression and/or experience on sports or music field is very welcomed;
• True will to overcome the language barrier and learn Portugese.

 

Financial conditions

• Accommodation
• Food
• Pocket Money
• Portuguese Language Course
• Local transport training opportunities
• Travel Costs*

Totally covered, according to the programme rules
*100% of travels cost will also be reimbursed by bank transfer according to the maximum budget approved by the European Commission for every country.

 

Selection process

 

The Candidates must send to JUVENTUDE2@CRUZVERMELHA.ORG.PT:

• a Curriculum Vitae in Eng or PT*
• a personalized Motivation Letter in Eng or PT*

The Candidates apply until the 26.04.2022, by 11:59 pm;
The Candidates will receive a form that they must fill in After they will be contacted with the results

.*All documents must be submitted in PDF format

 

Working language

 

English. Availability to learn Portuguese is also welcomed.

 

Placements

PLACEMENT 1 – BRAGA

THE CITY – Braga is a city of huge beauty and heritage richness, which combines tradition with innovation, the memory to the youth, and creativity to conservatism. With over 2000 years of a very rich history, Braga possesses one of the oldest Sacro-Montes in Europe and is the representative of the Minho region, the Bom Jesus. In Braga, we can find the oldest Portuguese Cathedral and the Motherhouse of the Benedictines, the Monastery of Tibães (Mosteiro de Tibães). Braga presents places that by their intrinsic devotion and beauty, impose themselves as mandatory benchmarks to visit. The Sanctuary of Sameiro (Santuário do Sameiro), the Bom Jesus and the Falperra, settling on an appealing religious basis, are surrounded by ravishing green spaces and paradise landscapes. The Roman legacy is another of the attractive factors of Braga, often called ‘Portuguese Rome’, due to its origin in the Roman city of Bracara Augusta. Known by its distinct churches, splendid XVIII century houses, gardens, nature parks and recreational areas. Braga’s long history is visible in the splendor of its monuments, museums and churches. Living Braga is like taking a time travel inside modernity. Old city and of traditional religiousness – always imposing on its richness and majesty – goes hand in hand with the entrepreneurship and young spirit in vital areas such as culture, commerce, gastronomy, industry and services.

THE BRANCH – The Youth Department of PRC – Braga was created in 2005 our goal is to involve and empower young people, promote self-confidence, cooperation and proactivity in our beneficiaries. Our target audiences are children, adolescents and young adults, who participate in the organisation as volunteers, beneficiaries or leaders/agents of positive change. We develop our work in a perspective of peer-to-peer education, using non-formal education methodologies. Our action always has in mind the promotion of Human Rights, we develop activities considering 6 main areas of intervention: Health Promotion and Education; Intervention for Social Inclusion; Education for Development and International Cooperation; Employability, Entrepreneurship and Active Citizenship; Environmental Education and, lastly, Humanitarian Action.

VOLUNTEER TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:VOLUNTEER TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Assisting in the International Mobility Project, JCV in Action: Assisting writing/implementing Erasmus+ Promoting Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps in high schools and universities; Supporting the Youth Department Communication team; Providing support in our Foster Care for Unaccompanied Children (1/2 weekends a month); Support our Social Kindergarten; Other activities related to volunteers’ individual skills and interests, as far as these are possible within the scope of the project. Example: Planning and implementing workshops (languages/music/arts); Assisting with the SAD project (Serviço ao Domicílio) – working to support vulnerable elderly people with personal and home care; Assisting with Equipa de Rua – supporting homeless/addicted people in Braga.

 

PLACEMENT 2 – CUCUJÃES

THE TOWN: The town isn’t really a city but more rather a village. With an area of about 10,42Km 2 and not more than 10 705 habitants, it is a small yet urban village integrated in Porto metropolitan area. Vila de Cucujães is part of Oliveira de Azeméis municipality and belongs to the district of Aveiro. It is 42 Km away from Porto and 40 Km away from Aveiro and both are easily accessible through public transportation. Although Cucujães is located in a rather small environment, make no mistake: they are very much active and promote a lot of youth activities. If you fancy the sea waves, there is also a direct bus to Ovar (which is less than 20Km away) and its nice beach areas. Despite being relatively close to nearby cities, the village lacks a good public transportation network.

THE BRANCH – The Portuguese Red Cross – Local Branch of Cucujães is part of the worldwide International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement through the National Society, Portuguese Red Cross. On local level, the Local Branch offers support to the community focusing on 3 main areas of intervention: Social, Emergency & First Aid and Youth & Volunteering. The work/ tasks at the Local Branch are mostly “hands-on” and practical and the volunteer will be involved in diverse tasks/ activties (not working merely with a specific target group or project but with many); which gives him/ her the chance to try new things and learn new competences. An openmind and adaptable attitude is required as plans/ priorities often change.

VOLUNTEER TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:VOLUNTEER TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Food Bank: This includes picking up and transporting food donations, storing, and organising food supplies,and then distributing them to families and individuals in need, either at the headquarters or by delivering it to people’shouses;  Transportation: If you are a driver, we might ask you to drive our beneficiaries to doctor appointments,
social security institute or other places that might be necessary; Active Mix: organising or supporting activities for a group of people with intellectual disabilities; Dia V: Volunteers take part in environmental cleaning actions when we organise them; Permaculture Farm: Volunteers help out at a local permaculture farm (harvesting and planting vegetables and fruits, cleaning and feeding animals, dealing with compost, etc); Social media content creation: Taking photos, videos, and create digital content to feed the organization’s social media accounts and the “new” website.

PERSONAL PROJECTPERSONAL PROJECT: The volunteer will also be encouraged to develop his/ her own personal micro-project. Something realistic, that can answer to the needs of the local community and that was fully created and implemented by the volunteer.

PLACEMENT 3 – FAFE

THE TOWN: Fafe is a town and Municipality in the District of Braga, in the North Region of Portugal. Fafe proper is a small, easygoing, friendly and safe town of roughly 15 thousand people. The town is located at the heart of the Minho region, in more than one sense. It is, on the one hand, a largely rural Municipality, hilly and green, geographically a transition point between the rougher interior of the country and the flatter coastal regions. Fafe is conveniently located, near to the cities of Guimarães, Braga and Porto, and halfway between the Gerês National Park to the Northeast and the beaches to the West; all easily accessed from Fafe itself. Gifted with good food, scenic nature and good people (if we may say so ourselves), and a richer history than may seem immediately apparent, living in Fafe can be an unforgettable experience.

THE BRANCH – The Fafe Branch of the Portuguese Red Cross was established in 1979, and works primarily in the fields of social support, health and emergency services; it seeks to promote the autonomy, quality of life and wellbeing of the population. The volunteers can expect to be involved in the daily life of the organization, along with the 28 full time employees and the local volunteers. Activities: Youth projects | Volunteering | Família+Feliz – Food and clothes supply | Programa Operacional de Apoio às Pessoas Mais Carenciadas – Food Program | Protocolo de Rendimento Social de Inserção – Social Insertion Income | Transport for non-emergent patients | UNIR – activities to senior citizens | Emergency teams.

VOLUNTEER TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Developing activities with the Red Cross’s Youth projects – activities designed to promote healthy eating habit, responsible attitudes towards alcohol, etc; Creating and developing a project to be carried out in local schools, and helping to promote Youth Volunteer projects in local school; Participating in the “Colorir o Sábado” program, a ludo-pedagogic program with children from disadvantaged backgrounds; Helping in the creation of digital content about our projects and results; Helping in the food program for disadvantaged persons (storing and distributing food); Participating in the Família+Feliz project (sorting clothes, toys and shoes donations and distributing to disadvantaged families); Supporting UNIR, a program providing leisure activities and education to senior citizens; Participating in our events and celebrations; Supporting fund-raising activities.

PERSONAL PROJECTPERSONAL PROJECT: The volunteers are encouraged to create their own projects, according to their interests and competences and related to the work of our local branch.

PLACEMENT 4 – GUIMARÃES

THE CITY: Guimarães is often called the cradle of Portugal because of its ancient roots and the fact that our first king was born in the town. 50 km away from Porto’s airport, with great bus and train connections with the rest of the country, it’s a medium sized city, with around 150 thousand inhabitants, and it is estimated that 20% are younger than 30 years old, which makes it one of the youngest cities in the country. With a variety of museums, concert rooms and outdoor activities and events, Guimarães is a very active city when it comes to culture and social activities. On another hand, it has lots of parks and green spaces where you can relax and enjoy nature. This, combined with the active historical center full of bars and restaurants and its medieval feel, has granted Guimarães many tourism and lifestyle awards.

THE BRANCH: The Guimarães Branch of the Portuguese Red Cross is a familiar branch that works mostly on volunteering projects within the community, non-urgent transports, social innovation, health and social services. Volunteers will have a supervisor, but will also interact with coordinators and professionals of the areas they choose to integrate.

OPTIONAL TASKS:OPTIONAL TASKS: These are some of the already existing areas that the volunteers can collaborate as well, if they feel motivated: Sick and elderly Hospital Volunteering1, Continuous Care Unit2); Children and Youth in Need (Fun Hospital2, intervention with children and youth in shelter homes2, free time activities during holidays for children from endangered neighborhoods2); Inmates1; Education and school intervention (Healthy Habits Eating Game1, Alcohol consumption prevention1, Sun Exposure Prevention1, Youth First Aid, Violence and Gender Equality1, Sexuality1, Environmental Education1, Non-formal Education1); Homeless (collaboration in our homeless shelter1); Developing activities for the Youth Group1; Social support (support to the social workers, organizing food and baby bank, organizing monthly baskets for those in need, managing donations1)

PERSONAL PROJECT: ESC volunteers will be welcome to share their visions and initiate their own project and develop their ideas to provide new kinds of support to the communities.
MAIN TASKS: Working on their own projects, supporting in social media and event planning,

PLACEMENT 5 – VALE DE CAMBRA

THE TOWN: Vale de Cambra is a portuguese cosy little town with nearly 25 864 habitants. Located in the metropolitan area of Oporto, this county is characterized by the pleasant climate and friendly people. Well known by its industrial might, notably in metalworking, plastic packaging and factory automation, Vale de Cambra presents itself as centre of industrial development. You can stroll through the wonderful valleys and mountains, rivers, century old villages and archeological trails. The volunteers can benefit from all these peaceful features of this small town during their staying time.

THE BRANCH: Portuguese Red Cross has a local representation in Vale de Cambra. There are 2 social responses which the volunteers may take part in, the Shelter’s Centre receiving young people aged between 12 and 18 years and the Community Support Office whose mission is to identify community vulnerabilities and attend to their most pressing demands. The processes of orientation and supervision of those families are an absolutely primordial role of the Office.

VOLUNTEER TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:VOLUNTEER TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Take part and give some support for the activities with the boys in the Shelter’s Centre: the young people living in the Centre is a population distinguished by learning disabilities, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, among others. The specificity of the referred population makes all the help came from the volunteers welcome and precious; Programs for development of personal and social skills: the volunteers may also take part in the implementation of the programs whose pretend to stimulate the development of personal and social skills usually underdeveloped in this kind of population; Food collection initiatives: every year our Portuguese Red Cross local branch takes part in food collection initiatives in order to help the sustainability of the institution. It will also be one of the tasks of the volunteers in their mission.; “O Meu Sol”: It is a national project aiming to prevent malign effects of the sun and heat exposure. It also pretends to promote healthy behaviors in general population; Youth First Aid: We are developing also our skills (having some formation) in what concerns Psychological First Aid. One of our aims for this year is to start making this programo f psychological First aid with children in schools. So, it could be also one of the activities of the volunteers.; Psychossocial help: In collaboration with the City Council, we are now developing a response for the refugees that are arriving from Ukraine. We would be very happy to count on the volunteers to help in this new project.; Espaço de Promoção Pessoal e Social: The Community Support Office provides twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays afternoon) a moment in which some members of the community can develop ludic activities encouraging them to work up emotions, motricity, team work, among other skills.