In the 2 months that I spent in Beja, Portugal, volunteering at Check-In, I was able to meet with great people, and we had the chance to share many memorable moments together.

To be honest, I had my doubts at first. I didn’t know what to expect from this project, I didn’t speak any Portuguese, and I didn’t have a clear outline of what my hosting organisation will expect from me.

However, now, after these two months went by, I can honestly say, it was an amazing experience, and I am very grateful for having this opportunity.

Beja, a small city in the heart of Portugal, with its decorated houses, cute coffeeshops and beautiful castle, quickly became a home away from home for us volunteers and will always have a special place in our hearts. 

While bigger cities may seem more exciting, the location of this volunteering project was truly ideal. I am glad we had a calm and welcoming environment, where we were able to focus on our activities and on ourselves without many distractions.

Our volunteering team quickly became a friend group. In our free time, we often had coffee and Portuguese cakes in one of Beja’s charming ‘pastelarias’, or played badminton in the lovely city park. During the holidays, we organised trips together to visit the beautiful coastline towns of Portugal. It was an amazing experience to meet with such talented and kind people.

This project came at the perfect time in my life. I had just graduated from university and was unsure about my next steps. These two months gave me the chance to reflect on my strengths, interests, and future goals. It helped me learn a lot about myself and gain clarity about the direction I want to take.

As for our activities, we had the chance to create our own workshops for the local youth, mainly focusing on digital media literacy, creative skills and language learning. Creating my own English language and digital media design workshops, helped me improve my presentation and organisational skills. I also learned so much from the workshops created by other volunteers. 

Hosting organisation:

The main objectives of Associacao Check-IN are to promote lifelong learning opportunities, encourage young people to be active citizens and participate in local community life, encourage social integration and inclusion and education for sustainable development. In addition, the organisation pays special attention to young people who have difficulty accessing information due to their geographical location, social and economic status or personal situation. They participate in and develop a multiplicity of different activities and projects, both locally and internationally, including the implementation of workshops, seminars, team-building activities, youth exchanges, training courses, information sessions, etc.