EVS Chronicles in Foreign Countries: Portugal
Hello, my name is Stanislava, I am 23-years old. I am currently doing a European Voluntary Service in Mais Cidadania Association in Lisbon, Portugal. My project is about writing communication and I am part of the communication team. My job includes updating the association’s website, blogs and social media channels and finding ways to promote the activities of the ENGO through creating multimedia. Moreover, I and the rest of the volunteers are giving presentations about mobility and European awareness in high schools. All this has been a very valuable experience because I’ve managed to put in practice a lot of my skills acquired during my Journalism and Multimedia degree. Moreover, my project gave me and still gives the challenge to think creatively. I have more freedom to do the things that I am mostly interested in.
As for the city – I chose Lisbon as I‘ve lived here before and I knew that it is amazingly beautiful and it does not take long to fall in love with its breathtaking viewpoints, beaches and friendly people! And as a legacy for my love for the city – my personal project is about creating a video of Lisbon as a perfect place for future EVS volunteers.
The best part of the EVS program is that it works as an incredible network. I met so many people from all over Europe early on the on-arrival training. Now, we are all travelling and visiting each other and discovering the country together. I’ve already been to a lot of places in continental Portugal. I just recently I had the amazing chance to go to the beautiful island of Madeira! I am really impressed by the country, its culture, food, people and mentality. And most of all I love the fact that there is no real winter here!
Programs like EVS give young people the chance to experience other cultures in a very unique and easy way. I think that it should be something more young people should be interested in doing. It is a once in a lifetime experience where you can actually work on a project that you like, meet young like-minded people and enjoy exploring the world!