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Volunteering in Portugal Elliette November 2022 - June 2023 Jakub Kołacz P E R S E N T A T I O N T E M P L A T E
The begining ___________________ Elliette zone and try something new. That's how I found European Solidarity Corps and started my own project. After I graduated high-school in April last year, I didn't know what I should do next, so I decided to go out of my comfort P E R S E N T A T I O N T E M P L A T E
Rato ADCC (my hosting organization) Rato is a small organisation that is dedicated to bringing IT knowledge to people with fewer opportunities and to immigrant families. (develops initiatives and projects for social inclusion using Information and Communication Technologies [ICT]). The office is about 15 minutes from the volunteers' flat. It is located in Miratejo, a small village on the south side of the Tagus River that flows along the Portuguese capital, in the Miratejo Youth Centre on the first floor.
Initiatives during the program: • Tutorials • Training of trainers • IT Coffee • Jah moment • Chá da TIC • Al madense • IT for refugees • Workshops at schools • Portuguese lessons • Podcast • Saberes e sabores event .
Tutorials During the project, I had an opportunity to learn how to use a camera and how to record and edit video. I create some tutorial videos on Rato YouTube channel about: (3D printers, soldering machine, drill, sewing machine, drill sharpener) Through these tutorials, users can learn how to operate those machines and use them in the future.
Training of trainers Training implemented by the Rato ADCC for volunteers involved in the various pedagogical techniques used in the delivery of IT training. I had the opportunity to attend in a series of workshops, in which he shared his insights on how to become a good trainer. The workshops were an eye-opener for me. It helped me to understand that being a good trainer is not only about imparting knowledge, but also about creating a positive and supportive learning environment. The exercises we did during the workshop were not only interesting but also practical, and it develops my observation, empathy, and creative skills.
IT Coffee The project includes several workshop sessions on the following topics: creating websites in HTML and CSS, JavaScript, creating and printing 3D objects, soldering electronic components, digital image capture and editing, operating a camera in manual mode.
JAH Moment The main aim of the project is social integration. The project includes: comic creation workshops (altComix), social reportage (altHuman), workshops on various topics for the community (altLern), realisation of ideas using the resources of the studio (altLab).
Chá da Tic Chá da tic is a workshop dedicated to elderly about digital skills with a break for coffee, tea and cakes, I was also a great chance to improve and practice my Portuguese :)
Al madense Al madense is a project to integrate Muslim citizens in Almada and to teach Portuguese to immigrants and refugees. As a volunteer, I also had a chance to participate in these lessons and learn Portuguese together.
IT for refugees IT for refuges was a course which we gave for the group of people from Somalia. The course was about basic knowledge about computers, and it was given by a national volunteers , so it was a great chance to learn how to work with people as a trainer and also a challenge because of the language barrier.
Workshops at schools During the workshops at schools I had an opportunity to promote ESC volunteer project, answer some questions, encourage and show to young people how it works and showed them how they can take part in this kind of projects.
Podcast One of my task was to edit podcast. Before I came here I didn't work with voice editing program, so I was hard at the beginning, but after some time I learned how to do this, and it becomes pretty easy for me. The podcast we recorded with the national volunteers about their experience, and now you can find this on Rato Spotify channel.
Saberes e sabores event It was a big event organized by the City Hall of Seixal for the promotion of Cultural Dialogue. The association's stand had several demonstrations of the equipment available in the Youth Workshop.
Mid-term training During my project, I had an opportunity to participate in the midterm training organized by the National Agency. My training took place in Youth hostel Serra da Estrela in the mountains. During the training we can share our experience, help each other with some problems, integrate and spend some time together. It is also a good time to reflect about our future lives. I met a wonderful people, and we spent a really great time together.
In my spare time In my spare time, I had a chance to discover Portugal better. With the others volunteers we visited a lot of places (Madeira, Peniche, Sintra, Cascais, Nazare, Covilha, Fatima) but we also explore more Lisbon and our neighborhood. Travel is an integral part of the project that's allows you to get to know the culture better, meet people and improve relationships with the people you are traveling.
If you are thinking of taking part in European Solidarity Corps, don't wait for the right moment. Don't be afraid, don't hesitate any more, just do it! It is a great opportunity, and I am sure you won't regret this!
European Solidarity Corps Volunteering Sending organization: Fundacja Rozwoju Społeczeństwa Przedsiębiorczego Host organization: Rato- Associação Para a Divulgação Cultural e Científica
