Social inclusion program in Amarante
Amarante, Porto
Volunteer project: This volunteer project in Amarante aims to raise awareness among the international participants and the local population on social inclusion, mainly of young people with disabilities, as well as on fair trade, organic farming and environmental preservation.
The volunteers will take part in various activities: group dynamics; presentation of the city and the region; discussions on the project theme; visits to the most important sights of the city; preparing a theatre performance and workshop on how to deal with differences; direct contact and work with a local NGO responsible for activities with local young people with disabilities; organizing an event (theatre performance) involving both groups (project participants and local disabled young people) to be presented in the community (street performance, more than 500 people expected to attend).
Language: English
Free time activities: Visits to some of the main cities and spots in the North of Portugal (Guimarães, Porto, Alto Douro Vinhateiro and Parque Natural do Alvão).
Accommodation: Volunteers will be accommodated in shared rooms (4 participants each) of Casa da Juventude de Amarante. They should bring their sleeping bag. Laundry is available (self-service). Free Wi-Fi is provided.
Location: Amarante is a small town in the North of Portugal, part of Porto district (60 km far from Porto, to the interior) with 12.000 inhabitants. It is quite a famous city for tourism, culture and wine production. Indeed, it is quite near (18 km) to the Oporto wine region. Amarante is crossed by the Tâmega River (one of the rivers ending at Douro River that crosses Porto till the Atlantic Ocean) and is located in a valley in one of the most important Portuguese mountains, Marão (1450 m). Amarante is well located, close to highways A4 connecting to Oporto and A11 connecting to Guimarães, and has a good public transport system. The city is 40 min away from the nearest airport (Porto) by car.
Terminal: Lisbon Airport, Porto Airport
Age range: 18 - 30 years old
Restoration of the natural and cultural heritage of Albergaria-a-Velha
Albergaria-a-Velha, Aveiro
Volunteer project: The volunteer project will take place in the town of Albergaria-a-Velha in the Aveiro District. The goals of the project are: Enhancement and promotion of the natural and cultural heritage of the region, namely rivers and water mills; Promotion of sustainability, environmental awareness and biodiversity protection; Promotion of intercultural relationships, good environmental practices and citizenship; Promotion of specific skills in the field of cultural and environmental heritage protection.
Volunteers will help in the restoration of an old water mill at the Caima River and public presentation of the work done to the local community. The restoration work requires cleaning, stone washing, building the roof, etc. Participants will also perform field tasks such as picking up litter, cleaning walking trails, controlling invasive vegetation, improving the habitat for local fauna and flora, building nest-boxes for birds and bats, planting trees. Volunteers will also contribute to forest fires prevention by trimming and removal of shrubs and vegetation.
In this project, volunteers will learn about nature conservation and engage in conservation and training activities, while getting to know the Portuguese fauna and flora. International exchange and exchange of experience is encouraged. There will be presentations and discussions on the environmental and social realities of the regions of origin of the participants, activities that promote environmentally and socially responsible attitudes and values, and training actions focused on individual and collective learning.
Language: English
Free time activities: In their free time, volunteers can visit the amazing city of Aveiro and its traditional Moliceiro boats, salt pans, colorful houses and modern university, the traditional village of Vilarinho de São Roque, and protected natural areas like Baixo Vouga Lagunar and the Pateira de Frossos. There will be also art and crafts, music, environmental movie night, traditional games, quiz night, talks, cultural and environmental tours.
Accommodation: The group will be accommodated in a school in Albergaria-a-Velha, in shared rooms with beds. Please bring your sleeping bag.
Location: Albergaria-a-Velha is a municipality in the Aveiro District, a 20-minute drive from the town of Aveiro.
Terminal: Lisbon Airport, Porto Airport, Aveiro train station
Age range: 18 - 30 years old
Support Avanca Film Festival and explore the architectural treasures of Porto
Avanca, Aveiro
Volunteer project: The International Meeting of Cinema, Television, Video and Multimedia in Avanca has been organized since 1997. Volunteers in this project will be involved in various levels of the organization, providing support for the success of this festival. Avanca film festival is a creative fusion and cultural exchange between professionals, students, cinema and multimedia lovers. The volunteers will naturally participate and dive in this international, cultural and creative atmosphere.
The volunteers will have variety of tasks before, during and after the festival.
During the preparation and setting phase:
• Setting up the different spaces for the meeting;
• Poster distribution and hanging;
• Exposition set up and organization;
• Converting school classrooms into workshop spaces;
• Installation and testing of workshop related video and computer equipment;
• Cleaning and preparing the Auditorium of Avanca for the Cinema and Video competition;
• Arranging the school’s multipurpose hall for the Television competition sessions;
• Airport pick-up and welcoming of international guests - directors, actors, producers, technicians, etc.
During the festival:
• Check-in support for participants and guests;
• Organizing camping for the workshop participants;
• Maintenance of workshop rooms;
• Catering support;
• Event promotion support (there will be several articles about the festival);
• Administrative, Press room and Conference support;
• Film screening support during competition sessions;
• Cleaning and maintenance of festival installations;
• Help in the Gastronomy Festival held during the festival weekend;
After the festival:
• Collecting and verifying workshop equipment;
• Cleaning the spaces used and returning those spaces to their original use and setup;
• Collecting the material of the expositions and wrapping up the works;
• Removing posters of the event in Avanca and in Aveiro region.
Part of the project will be about protection and preservation of the cultural heritage in the historic center of Porto, and recognizing the architectural work of Álvaro Siza Vieira. Volunteers will collect images and testimonials during visits and information meetings at different places including the Library and the University of Aveiro, the Avelino Duarte House in Ovar, the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Porto, the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, the São Bento Railway Station, the Social housing district of Bouça and the historic center of Porto.
Language: English
Accommodation: In tents at the school in Avanca. Please bring a sleeping bag.
Location: Avanca is a civil parish in the municipality of Estarreja, in the central subregion of Baixo Vouga.
Terminal: Lisbon Airport, Porto Airport, Avanca train station
Age range: 18 - 30 years old
Archeological research project in Freixo de Numao
Freixo de Numao, Guarda
Volunteer project: The international volunteer project aims to support the efforts for protecting and promoting the regional cultural heritage of Freixo de Numão. The objective of this program is to give continuity to an archeological research project and the desire to turn the archeological site into a museum that has been developed since 1980.
The volunteers will take part in archaeological excavations at Freixo de Numão, guided by an archaeologist. The project tasks include excavation, cleaning, washing, treatment, labeling of the findings (ceramics, bones, coals, seeds). Volunteers will work 6 hours a day.
Language: English
Free time activities: In the spare time, volunteers will go on a boat trip on the Douro River, will visit the museums of Côa and Casa Grande, belvederes, castles, historical villages (Marialva), the prehistoric rock engravings of the Côa Valley and Douro Wine Region (UNESCO World Heritage Sites).
Accommodation: Volunteers will be accommodated in a Youth Centre with 2 dormitories and 8 rooms. Wi-Fi is available free of charge.
Location: Freixo de Numão, 200 km from Porto, 400 km from Lisboa, 90 km from Guarda, and 12 km from Foz Côa
Terminal: Lisbon Airport, Porto Airport, Vila Nova de Foz Côa bus station
Age range: 18 - 30 years old
Enhancing the biodiversity at a Donkey sanctuary
Miranda do Douro, Bragança
Volunteer project: The project will take place in the village of Teixeira/Atenor, located next to the Parque Natural do Douro Internacional (Douro International Natural Park), about 5 km from the village of Sendim (Miranda do Douro). The volunteers will help out in a Donkey sanctuary whose main objective is to guarantee the welfare and veterinary care of donkeys and mules that are sick or old, were abandoned or mistreated, or their owners were unable to continue caring for them.
The main goals of this project are to enhance the biodiversity at the sanctuary and improve the landscape for generations of donkeys and visitors to come; to enable the discovery of the Miranda Plateau, a unique rural region, rich in natural beauty, biodiversity, culture and traditions; and to bring together international volunteers and local community, promoting intercultural and intergenerational encounters and exchanges.
The tasks planned for the enhancement of the biodiversity will focus on attracting birds. For birds to visit or live in a certain place, they need food and shelter, so we'll work to preserve trees and plant shrubs that provide these. We'll add a butterfly and a pollinator garden, and will increase the plants that attract and support them. We'll add water, like a birdbath or a pond or a stream, which is very attractive to birds and other wildlife. We'll also build a pile of logs or rocks that can provide home for wildlife, and will add birdhouses, bat houses or native pollinator houses. This way we'll welcome birds and insects that keep pests under control, so we can reduce the use of pesticides and avoid preventative spraying.
Language: English
Free time activities: There are different activities planned for the volunteers to get to know the beautiful landscapes around, the rich cultural traditions and the local community. Activities include trekking and hiking around Atenor, trip to the Fraga do Puio viewpoint and to the Terra Mater Ecomuseum, exploring the donkey sanctuary and trying a walk with a donkey, trip to and night out at Palaçoulo traditional festivity, visiting Miranda do Douro, cinema nights, traditional games with the local people.
Accommodation: The accommodation is equipped with bunk beds and a barbecue area. Please bring your sleeping bag.
Location: Atenor, in the municipality of Miranda do Douro
Terminal: Porto Airport, Miranda do Douro bus station
Age range: 18 - 30 years old
Building with earth
Montemor-o-Novo, Evora
Volunteer project: This project aims to awaken youth for the traditional building techniques and the surrounding built heritage. It is a Hands-on-Approach in ancient building techniques, especially raw earth (adobe, rammed earth, CSEB (Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks), earth plasters), fired earth as well as lime mortars and plasters. During the project, we will work on the restoration and maintenance of historic buildings, especially at the Castle and in the old Saint Francisco Convent from 1495. Cooperation, communication, self-esteem, problem solving, risk evaluation, leadership and decision making are competences that we need in order to work together while building for and with the local community. The working environment is relaxed, in the heart of an artistic city.
Volunteer activities:
• Learn about and repair traditional lime plasters and paintings;
• Apply reinforced waterproof membrane on the Convent's roof;
• Learn about traditional handmade fired and raw earth brick production, clay preparation and application;
• Repair traditional terracotta brick structures (removing vegetation, cleaning and applying natural waterproof coating);
• Cleaning and organizing working areas and tools used during the activities. Tools like brushes, trowels, shovels, spatulas will be used to perform tasks such as painting, scratching, cleaning, mixing mortar, applying mortar, etc.
Language: English
Free time activities: Ceramics - make your own clay project and take it home – from modeling until firing; group games, round tables, yoga, open air cinema, landscape and heritage walks (learning about the Montado Landscape, visiting the megalithic heritage and the city of Évora), concerts at the local annual fair.
Accommodation: Shared rooms in the old convent. Please bring your sleeping bag.
Location: Montemor-o-Novo is a small town in Alentejo region, 1h15 min from Lisbon and 20 minutes from the city of Evora.
Terminal: Lisbon Airport
Age range: 18 - 30 years old
Music on the streets
Vila Real
Volunteer project: This international volunteer project aims to take the art of music to the streets of Vila Real through street performances, creating community dynamics and vibrancy. Volunteers and local citizens will collaborate for the final artistic shows. We will promote activities where dialogue is valued, and we will talk about the intercultural reality and socio-cultural background of each participant. It will be a real collective work, where dialogue and exchange of experiences will be an essential tool. The project promotes community involvement and interaction between volunteers and local people, young and elderly.
International volunteers and local young people will work together for the production of a music show which will be performed on the streets in the center of Vila Real and in a nursing home in the area. There are many different tasks: writing and designing the different stages of the show; preparing music for the show; creating musical instruments from recycled materials for the accomplishment of the show; rehearsals for the show; identifying strategic places for artistic performance in the city; preparing the stage and lighting; filming and recording the performances; preparing an intercultural night. The participants will be split is 5 teams: Audio Visual team; Show Production team; Performance team; Recycled Instruments team; Light and Sound team.
Language: English
Free time activities: The volunteers can expect many opportunities to meet local people and discover the best that Vila Real can offer. The team will visit the city, participate in a peddy-paper game, watch a music show, have fun in a water park, etc.
Accommodation: In a big pavilion at the local school. Please bring a sleeping bag and a sleeping pad.
Location: Vila Real is the capital and the largest city of the Vila Real District in Northern Portugal.
Terminal: Porto Airport
Age range: 18 - 30 years old
Promote Fair Trade and organic farming in Amarante
Amarante, Porto
Volunteer project: This volunteer project in Amarante is intended to raise awareness among the international participants and the local population on organic farms, organic food and fair trade. The volunteers will develop skills related to agriculture work in organic farms and environment preservation.
The volunteers will be helping on organic farms in the region of Amarante. They will be in direct contact with local organic producers and will work with them The volunteers will also get a training on fair trade and sustainable development (e.g. workshop on Fair Trade and healthy food). The group will run different activities and presentations in order to increase the level of commitment at local level (Amarante) for organic and fair trade products.
Language: English
Free time activities: Visits to some of the main cities and spots in the North of Portugal (Guimarães, Porto, Parque Natural do Alvão).
Accommodation: Participants will be accommodated in shared rooms (4 participants each) in the Youth Center of Amarante. Sleeping bag is needed.
Location: Amarante is a small town in the North of Portugal, part of Porto district (60 km far from Porto, to the interior) with 12.000 inhabitants. It is quite a famous city for tourism, culture and wine production. Indeed it is very close (18 km) to the Oporto wine region. It is crossed by Tâmega River (one of the rivers ending at Douro River that crosses Porto till the Atlantic ocean) and is in the valley of one of the most important Portuguese mountains, Marão (1450 m). Amarante is well located (nearby passes highway A4 connecting to Oporto and highway A11 connecting to Guimarães) and has a good public transport system (bus station). The city is 40 min away from the nearest airport (Oporto) by car.
Terminal: Porto
Age range: 18 - 30 years old