Testimonio Elisabete Sousa | 27 años
EVS in Barcelona. Elisabete is Portuguese and she is doing her EVS at Moises Centre in Santa Coloma de Gramenet. She will stay with the Moises team as a volunteer from October 2018 until August 2019.
Personality Test:
A song that you cannot stand:
Your favourite ice cream flavour:
It used to be caramel, but now I make it by myself and the taste with bananas, coconut milk and peanut butter.
A book you would like to re-read:
The Bible.
A secret obsession:
Beauty.
An indispensable tool for working:
The brain.
A destination to get lost:
The Azores.
About your EVS:
Why did you choose to volunteer?
Because I felt like I wanted to do something in my life that would bring something new to someone else, so I see volunteering as an experience where I can share my own life experience, my knowledge, my ideas and teach as well if possible. So, the goal of my decision actually goes beside my personal project. As well on the other side I can achieve new learning, experience and life formation too. So, it is not an unidirectional exchange, everyone gets something from this.
How did you learn about this opportunity?
In first place I heard it from my friends that already did it. So I started to check the web platform for the projects, the European solidarity corps platform,which was on the top of my list among the volunteering possibilities. And finally, I was chosen for Barcelona!
Why an EVS?
I went looking for an Erasmus project because I had more information and knowledge about it, how it works, the structure, the content. So it was the more interesting for me.
What is your project about?
I volunteer in a centre for kids called Abierto Moises; it is a centre for kids in risk for social exclusion. My role is to help them with their homework mainly, but also be a presence for them, so we do games and different kind of activities.
What were your expectations before coming?
Since I was very happy about the idea of doing an EVS research and after an evaluation I had all the kind of expectations, especially I thought I would be given freedom to put in action some ideas, activities and to be given a certain responsibility as well as support for bigger projects.
I volunteer in the centre from 4 pm to 8 pm in the afternoon every day from Monday to Friday.
Then with Mundus Asociacion I have on Tuesday the linguistic café, which is an exchange linguistic activity open to everyone interested. It is done in collaboration of the other volunteers and we have a group of 5-6 people coming regularly and we practice mainly English language. Then on Thursday I have English class with a group of students that participate to one of the projects of Mundus, the VET project; they go abroad to different countries to do 1 or 2 months of practice in their studies.
How do you bring additional things to the project?
I transmit a positive attitude, mental openness, especially regarding the judgmental approach that is rising up in the society and kids in particular are more sensitive to learn wrong things at their age, I share my knowledge about everything they ask and know and I try to create an open and comprehensive state of mind.
Do you feel like being part of a process?
Not really..
What is the impact of your project on the society?
I think it has a big impact in the community, because it is raising the awareness among the new generation, especially the one in risk of social exclusion, these kids have a place where to go and not to spend time alone, and this is great because they can meet other kids, make friendships, learn new things, and they receive also a psychological support.
Who benefits from your volunteering?
The kids.
Would you like keep working in this framework after the project?
Kids fascinate me, but I need to work on other things now.
What do you like or dislike about the project?
The work of the volunteer should be taken more seriously, because it comes with a lot of responsibility, effort, creativity, so it adds quality to the project.
My best project memory is not a specific episode but the fact that the kids build a consistent trust in me. I’m a person they can trust.
Did it change your life?
Indeed. It was like a slap on the face, because I learned a lot about people, that I cannot search so easily for guilt to justify behaviours. I started to see life as an aggregate of layers.
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