My first visit to the SYnergia office took 2 minutes on foot from my apartment. I met Mariana and Joana there. Given some of Indonesian snacks, Indonesian flag and the symbol to Mariana after that I was given the activities schedule for me then she explained to me about SYnergia and what they did and do. She showed me the presentation about the activities and some of the projects. It was really good that SYnergia not only making project but also supporting the youth project who needs their help for such as help on bureaucratic support or providing places, etc.
Some of the activities that explained are SYnergia project support for the youth, kind of the activities are Synergia urban arts, SYnergiatv, SYnergia European projects, SYnergia academy. SYnergia provide area or spot and even organize it, some case, helping with bureaucratic with the government. Not only for the youth but in some occasion it involved kids in elementary school and the senior citizens.
I have a chance to visit Toca, located in city center, around 45 minutes by walk from SYnergia office. Toca, a former cinema that taken over by SYnergia is a big building that separate into few rooms and that afternoon, I saw the small theater shadow puppet performance brought by the EVS volunteers and after the show, the students supervised by the teachers and adults encouraged to make the characters using paper, scissors, sticks, etc. I happened to assist one student with special need together with Bὔsra, EVS volunteer from Turkey and met other volunteers and Mathias, person in-charge from Argentine. After the activities finished and area already clear, we went to a nice café to have a break and having time to know other volunteers, and then went back to each apartment to get rest.
On 22nd March, I went to Lamaçães School for the first time which going to be my observing project activities for the couple of week, taken by Elisabete, SYnergia accounting person. We went on foot to visit the city center with the students and Sarah and Carla the monitoring in-charge and Elisa, the volunteer girl from Portugal. The purpose was to teach the children about the traffic sign and how to cross the road safely. The route from the school to city center, then had snack time, bread and milk in cart delivered to all students and after that continue to walk to Bracara, Academia de Bilhar (billiard) that located underground supermarket. The students learning how to play billiard in correct ways showed by a professional instructor and after that the students and all of us allowed to try and practicing. Not an easy game but the children really enjoy the activities so much until it is almost lunch time and we walked back to school. The children really full energy seems they never feel tired at all. There were more less 30 children who joined the activities and they’re in different ages.
Noventy, Job shadower in Synergia, Braga – Portugal