ESC: Help in Holistic Education Centre in Vila Verde, Braga, Portugal with Maintenance

Name: ESC: Help in Holistic Education Centre in Vila Verde, Braga, Portugal with Maintenance
Start: 2025-04-01
End: 2025-07-31
Location: Goães, Portugal

Code: 4450667b86cb8eb2d9 Copied

Portugal Education Environment European Voluntary Service Social work Education Environment +2 Fixed dates

About the project

📝 Detailed information

🏢 About the local organisation

O Mundo Somos Nós - OMSN (You are the World) is a non-profit association located in Ribeira do Neiva, a small parish in the municipality of Vila Verde - Portugal, with less than 4000 inhabitants. It aims to promote the education of the human being as a whole, through experiences that encourage cooperation between individuals and communities, respect for the environment and self-sustainability, self-knowledge and human/life research, to create a more conscious and responsible society.
The organization develops a set of activities and projects for children, young people, parents, educators and general public with the aim that each individual can reach its full potential in the most diverse aspects: arts, social, democracy, academic, digital, environmental awareness, interpersonal relationships, emotional intelligence and healthy lifestyle.
The OMSN was born more than 10 years ago when a group of families joined together to create an educational project for children inspired in the Krishnamurti philosophy as well as different international pedagogies - Montessori, Forest Schools, Reggio Emilia among others. Over the years, the project has grown and presently has a learning center with capacity for 50 children and a learning community focused on several trainings and workshops for adults. The regular activities of the learning center are outdoor/nature activities, learning through play, study support (literature, mathematics, nature, etc.), dramatic expression, dance, yoga, etc

💼 What the programme involves

We are O Mundo Somos Nós (OMSN), a holistic education project in a rural village near Vila Verde, Braga, Portugal. Every day, our children gather for a learning experience that explores both their inner worlds and the world around them - from nature and mathematics to languages and sciences. OMSN develops projects and activities for children and young people, aiming to help each individual reach their full potential. We need help in our work, now in maintenance, gardening, fixing things, supporting our cook, and in digital content creation. Your tasks will be: 1) Maintaining the Learning Centre by cleaning and organising indoor and outdoor spaces; 2) Caring for our permaculture garden by watering the plants; 3) Repairing what needs fixing in and around the building (guidance provided); 4) Supporting the kitchen and educators during meal times if needed; 5) Occasionally assist with children’s activities; 6) Develop digital content and contribute to our online presence.

🏠 Accommodation on site

Our volunteers are accommodated at the local pilgrims hostel “Albergue de Peregrinos S. Pedro”. The Albergue is within a walking distance from OMSN. The volunteers will have their own reserved area within the Albergue with wi-fi connection. The travel expenses will be reimbursed based on the distance bands defined by the European Commission.

🍲 Food

OMSN provides vegetarian lunches during weekdays and the hostel kitchen can be used to prepare any additional meals. In accordance with the ESC program, a monthly allowance for food + pocket money of 270€ will be provided on a monthly basis.

In our learning centre we provide vegetarian lunches during the week. For all additional meals, the volunteer can use the kitchen in their accommodation. Because the next big supermarket is a little bit further away, I take them there by car once a week.

🎒 Leisure activities

Our project and the volunteer's accommodation is in a rural area surrounded by forest and nature. We provide bicycles for our volunteers to explore the local area. We are also on the Santiago Path, so if the volunteers like walking this provides the perfect opportunity. In summer, there is a public swimming pool in our village and a river to jump into on hot days. The closest Towns/City are reachable by bus/Uber in 30 minutes for volunteers to explore in their free time.

⚠️ Requirements

The Participant profile: We are looking for volunteers who are: 1) Between 18 and 30 years old (preferably with fewer opportunities); 2) Eager to learn and motivated to work on the proposed activities of OMSN; 3) Demonstrating responsibility, initiative, a willingness to engage in physical tasks, adaptability, and enthusiasm for creating a well-maintained learning environment; 4) Willing to learn Portuguese; 5) Willing to live in a rural place 30-40 minutes from the next bigger city. Because OMSN's activities involve working with young children, we will consider the age, maturity, and willingness of the volunteer to commit to a long-term experience abroad.
Deadline: 21/03/2025 13:00

🤝 Meeting point

On their day of arrival, I pick up our volunteers from Braga, the closest city. There are regular buses that go from the airport in Porto to Braga.
We organise Erasmus+ projects where our volunteers are often involved too. Last year we organised a Youth Exchange and a Youth Worker Training in the mountains of our national park Gerês. The Volunteers were helping with and also participating in the daily activities of both projects and got to meet people from all over Europe.

ℹ️ Additional information

During their stay, our volunteers receive training and mentoring provided by OMSN to enhance their integration into the project in different fields such as education, healthy vegetarian cooking, permaculture, and more. Additionally, a Portuguese language course is offered via the OLS platform before their arrival and throughout their stay in Portugal. The volunteer will have access to Portuguese/English lessons at OMSN while engaging in activities with children. You can also expect on-arrival and mid-term training provided by the National Agency.

The project is implemented under the European Solidarity Corps Programme, financed by the European Commission.
The participating organisations have to be mindful of these needs as they are responsible for providing a respectful and trusting hosting environment. At the same time, the organisations participating in the initiative devote a great deal of time, energy and resources to set up a high-quality activity; they should therefore expect that European Solidarity Corps participants show a similar level of respect for the local communities and the people that are directly concerned by the activities (https://youth.europa.eu/solidarity/mission_en).
What do we provide ?

Training before and after the project
Health insurance during your project
round-trip travel reimbursement
accommodation and food
pocket money
language course
Return Week-end
Youth Pass and SVI international Volunteer passport

Before applying for this volunteering project, you need to enroll yourself at European Solidarity Corps Platform (https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity_en) and specify your European Solidarity Corps Participant Number (PRN).
This organisation holds a European Solidarity Corps Quality Label.
Contact the ESC coordinator at +32 2 888 67 13 to get more informations.

Interested in this project? Create your account and apply online.