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Blended Mobility in Amarante – STEP-1
At the beginning of September 2022, we set off to Amarante, Portugal, to take part in a youth activity, blended mobility to be more precise, about volunteering. After a long but exciting flight, we arrived in the city of Porto, where the locals were already waiting for us to take us to the main office of the organization, the CJ building. We had our accommodation here, the programs were held here, as well as we ate every day here. On the first day, we got to know the other participants, the organizers, the city itself, and the youth center and got an insight into the life of the local volunteers. Over the next few days, we participated in a wide variety of programs and activities, put together a workshop on volunteering, and participated in a work camp. We helped locals and local volunteers pick apples and hazelnuts on an agricultural school’s farm, in return we were able to try riding in the school’s riding hall. We also created a museum exhibition in which we presented our own volunteer organization, ATA, and through these demonstrations, we were able to gain insight into the work of other youth organizations. In the evenings, we could take part in various cultural sessions, learned different cultural dances, tasted cultural dishes, and learned interesting things about other countries. On the last day, we were able to go kayaking on the river, and after a short evaluation, we had to say goodbye to our new friends, because the program was over, and we had to go home. All in all, during the program, we were able to gain new knowledge about the various voluntary projects, how exactly they work and what their role is in the European Union. This program has given us the opportunity to make new friendships without borders.
This article was written by one of the participating youth in the blended mobility.
