Rodrigo Santos | CULTURA SOCIAL Volunteer

Hello! I'm Rodrigo, I'm 17 years old, and this year I decided to volunteer in the Cultura Social program. Previously, I was already part of Cultura no Bairro program, but I thought it would be interesting to try another project and be useful in different ways and more active with regard to society.

I did two shifts, in completely different places. In the first one, I started by helping out at the Girassol Social shop, in Parede, where you get clothes, toys and books and that is open to anyone who wants to visit. It was a calmer shift because there are many people who voluntarily go there to help and they have ended up keeping me company.

In the second round, I was in a holiday camp with children with special needs, called BIPP, in Carcavelos, and there were no hands to measure! It was completely different because I had to keep an eye on every child that was there in every activity we did! It was a challenging project for the responsibility that involved and at the same time amused by the tasks with the children both in the field of vacations and in the outings.

I evolved a lot of my sense of responsibility, I gained enough patience and creativity to solve different problems. Besides, it is something I will never forget: I have learned to understand the needs of other people a little better. When we visited the Museum of Electricity, I realized how difficult it is for someone, with a wheelchair, walking on public transport or even moving in the street.

These experiences were very enriching for me as a human being, as well as a future worker.