Learn about self-knowledge while supporting our holistic education in Braga, Portugal

Details

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  Description

  We are an established education centre for children in the North of Portugal.
  Our aim is to provide our children with the best conditions to flourish into their unique potential. We want to teach them about life and what it means to be human. Our focus is not only on transmitting knowledge about the outer world but also investigating deeply into the world within. We value creativity and play just as much as the power of focused and structured, concentrated work.
  For over a decade, we have delivered comprehensive educational programs to children ranging from toddlers to teenagers, ages 2-16. In our daily activities we use Montessori, Forest School, and nature-based approaches amongst others. While we found these methods to be great tools in our work, we are not dogmatic about them and don't wear them as part of our identity. They are just the tools we prefer to use.
  Beyond the physical tasks for our volunteers of keeping the learning spaces clean and organised and helping with small repair and maintenance tasks around the centre, we organise weekly Dialogue sessions. During these sessions we have the space to go into topics like responsibility, fear, relationships, attention, and all the rest of it. Each week we set a focus topic to sit with and inquire throughout the week and we provide additional resources for guidance and going deeper.
  
  We have several years of experience in hosting volunteers through several platforms and programmes and are always happy to welcome them to our project. The cultural exchange and influx of different experiences and perspectives is incredibly valuable to our community and keeps us internationally connected.
  
  We are looking for kind, open, humble and focused volunteers who can:
  - Assist our team during meal times by keeping the children quiet and looked after;
  - Keep the learning spaces clean and organised;
  - Help in maintaining the learning centre and do small repairs;
  - Care for our (vegetable) garden and animals;
  - Give a helping hand where needed;
  - Contribute to our online presence by creating digital content for social media;
  - Share their own experience on our volunteer blog;
  - Are interested in looking at themselves clearly and directly to learn about their inner dynamics.
  
  We are NOT looking for volunteers who only want to work directly with children. We have a dedicated professional team for that. Instead, the volunteers' role in our organisation is to handle those small but important tasks that our educators usually don't get to, thereby helping to create a space where children can flourish.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Events & social

  

  Self development

  

  Vegetarian or vegan

  

  Sustainability

  

  Plant care

  

  Photography

  

  Writing

  

  Languages

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Gardening

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Carpentry

  

  Blogging

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Nature

  

  Dancing

  

  Yoga / Wellness
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  As a volunteer, you become a member of our team and will be engaged in ongoing learning and inquiry. Your role is to support the day-to-day life of our organisation, helping our educators to create a space for truly holistic education that embraces all aspects of life.
  O Mundo Somos Nós draws inspiration from J. Krishnamurti and the educational projects he founded, particularly Brockwood Park School in England. But we are not bound by his teachings or attached to his person. Rather, we have found in his words an extraordinary clarity on fundamental human questions, and we use them as a living tool for our own inquiry and exploration.
  
  Through weekly dialogue and inquiry sessions, we examine together what it means to live with awareness and freedom. These conversations are not theoretical lessons, but directly influence our personal lives and shape how we relate to one another.
  Sharing and learning with each other is one of the pillars of our community. We believe that if we truly wish to change the world, we must move beyond our fixed identifications and ideological subscriptions. Only then can something genuinely new and creative emerge.
  
  Ultimately, we are creating a space for learning and personal growth for all, the children, yes, but equally for every member of our community, including our volunteers. Education is not something that happens only in classrooms. It happens in how we live together.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  The main tasks for our volunteers are to support the team during meal times by keeping the children quiet and looked after, keeping the learning spaces organised and clean, maintaining the space with love and care, assisting with maintenance tasks and small repairs, caring for our (vegetable) garden and animals, offering a caring presence, providing help wherever needed, creating digital content to promote volunteering at OMSN, and share personal experiences and updates on our blog.
  
  To ensure a stable environment for the children as they adjust to new faces at the learning centre, we prioritise volunteers who can commit to stays of more than three months.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Portuguese: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  Our volunteers stay in a shared bedroom at the local pilgrim’s hostel, which is within walking distance of OMSN. They have a designated space with Wi-Fi access and can prepare their own meals at the hostel when needed. On weekdays, OMSN provides vegetarian lunches at the learning centre.
  
  Our village lies along the pilgrimage route to Santiago, meaning the hostel often hosts pilgrims for short stays of one or two nights. This creates a unique opportunity to meet and connect with people from around the world. However, the volunteers' living space is fully separate from the pilgrims' area, ensuring they always have a private retreat.

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  What else ...

  Our project is located 40 minutes drive to the beach and 1 hour drive to Peneda-Gerês National Park the only national park in Portugal.
  As mentioned earlier, we are located along the pilgrimage route to Santiago and there are several local hiking paths to explore.
  Ponte de Lima and Viana de Castelo are two beautiful nearby towns that can be reached by public transport and are worth exploring.
  Porto airport is 45 minutes from our location. There is a regular bus connection from the airport to Braga. From Braga you can take a bus to get to our project. We will help you with the connections.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

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