Programa Locals

Before joining the Locals “family” I’ve participated in several volunteer programs, including other Cascais Jovem programs, when I saw that they were creating a new Program I found it interesting and wanted to sign up and be part of something that was “born”. After the first shift in this Program I realized that it was my favorite, for the opportunity to speak other languages daily and for the contact we established with those who visit us.

I started to work on all the tasks to help the program grow. In 2016 thanks to my performance in the Program I was called for an interview to go up as a Team Leader and I was the chosen one, I continued to give the maximum to the Program, now with the responsibility of leading a team I made sure that everyone had an experience in the Locals just as good as mine.

At the end of the summer of 2016 I received the invitation to coordinate the Program on the following year, where I am for almost a year - I began to coordinate the program on 15 March 2017.

The experience has always been positive, it’s a program that is in great growth and development which brings me challenges daily. The creation of new projects, the increase in the number of volunteers and the increasing visibility of the Program mean that each day is always different.

I believe that the greatest competence I have gained over this year has been to learn to deal with different types of people. At first, I was afraid I could not establish a trusting relationship with volunteers who are often the same age as me or older, but I think it was something I was able to learn how to do. I also developed an organizational capacity that I didn’t have at all when I was given this opportunity. And this is something that I learned here but that I take also for my life.

This experience has helped me discover things about myself and the way I work. The most challenging part has undoubtedly been the increase in work and the challenges posed. But always in a positive way because it forces me to organize time and tasks and create greater autonomy.

Carolina Melo