ESC: Support Daily Activities at our Holistic Education Centre in Vila Verde, Braga, Portugal

Name: ESC: Support Daily Activities at our Holistic Education Centre in Vila Verde, Braga, Portugal
Start: 2025-09-01
End: 2025-12-19
Location: Goães, Portugal

Code: 46142682c7f1ef39bf 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, an established education centre in North Portugal dedicated to nurturing children’s unique potential and exploring both the outer and inner world. We value creativity and play just as much as the power of focused and structured, concentrated work. For over a decade, we’ve delivered comprehensive educational programs for ages 2–16, using tools like Montessori, Forest School, and nature-based approaches - methods we employ flexibly rather than dogmatically. With several years of experience in hosting volunteers, we cherish the cultural exchange and diverse perspectives they bring, keeping our community internationally connected. We seek kind, open, humble, and focused volunteers to support us by preparing healthy vegetarian meals, assist educators with snacks for the children, maintain a clean and organised environment, help with repairs, and contribute to our digital presence by creating content and sharing personal experiences.

🏠 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. We provide vegetarian lunches during the week.

🎒 Leisure activities

We’re also situated along the Santiago Path, which offers great walking opportunities for those who enjoy hiking. During the summer, there's a public swimming pool in the village and a river nearby, perfect for cooling off on hot days. The nearest towns and the city are about 30 minutes away and easily reachable by bus or Uber for weekend or evening outings.

⚠️ Requirements

The Participant profile: We are looking for volunteers who are: 1. between 18 and 30 years old; 2. eager to learn and motivated to work on the proposed activities of OMSN; 3. demonstrating kindness, humility, responsibility, motivation, and focus; 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: 01/08/2025 00:59

🤝 Meeting point

On the day of arrival, I personally pick up our volunteers from Braga, the closest city. There are regular buses from Porto Airport to Braga, making the journey straightforward.

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.q

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.

📷 Project photos

ESC: Support Daily Activities at our Holistic Education Centre in Vila Verde, Braga, Portugal

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📅 Available sessions

PT46142

01/09/2025 at 00:00 → 19/12/2025 at 00:00

Closed

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♂ 0/1 ♀ 0/1

Deadline: 01/08/2025

ℹ️ Key information

Age required

18–30 years old

Solidarity donation

0.00 EUR

French tax residents may be eligible for a tax reduction of up to 66% of their costs (membership, plane tickets, solidarity donation).

📍 Location

Av. Da Igreja 277, 4730-190 Goães, Portugal

Portugal

🌍 Location info

Local currency

Euro Member Countries (EUR / €)

Timezone

Western European Summer Time

Local time: 22:13 (12/11/2026)

🛡️ Before you leave

Security information

📞 Contact us

[email protected]

+32 2 888 67 13

Contact form

✅ Features

🏠 Accommodation

Collective

🗣️ Languages spoken

English Portuguese