The volunteer journey – how did you get involved?

I have people in my family who do volunteering, as well as some friends, so I was always curious to do something in this area. I have heard about the UUM project, and I have decided to apply to be a volunteer. I really like sports, so this was a great opportunity to do something different and exciting. Being with different people and gaining new skills was an experience I couldn’t miss.

What is your connection to the NGO or the urban sports world? 

I had no connection with Sport Evolution Alliance. I was informed about the open call to participate and I was immediately interested in the project, and I applied. I didn’t know anything about the organisation, but the work they have been doing is very good and helpful to society. I already did some Street Workout exercises, but with the UUM project I was more motivated to learn more about this kind of sports activity.

What was your experience like at the urban sports camp?

It was really fun, I’ve met a lot of different people and new cultures while practising sports. As I said before, I already had some experience in Street Workout. However, the training I received exceeded my expectations. Parkour and Streetball were fantastic experiences.

What did you learn from the local event organisation? How did you feel, what challenges did you have and how did you overcome them?

I tried Parkour for the first time and it was extremely challenging and at the same time enriching. It made me get out of my comfort zone and deal with frustration. It is important to always have new challenges. For me, it was a rewarding event as it allowed me to work in a team, to be resilient and above all to improve my problem-solving skills.

What are you most looking forward to about what’s yet to come in the UUM project?

I know Cascais well, the town where the next event will take place, so I am looking forward to welcoming the other volunteers to Portugal, to show them the best we have and can do in our country. I’m also looking forward to helping with the last event “the big one”, it’s a thing that I enjoy because everybody will be there and I will feel that I am part of it while doing something that I love, which is sports.

The volunteer journey – how did you get involved?

Once I’m involved with sports, volunteering has always been a part of my life, but in a very informal way. I have heard about the UUM project, and I have decided to apply to be a volunteer. I’m fascinated with new experiences, especially with urban sports, which I’m a big fan of. I hope this way I can have fun and also acquire new skills that will improve my employability in the future.

The volunteer journey – how did you get involved?

I had no connection with Sport Evolution Alliance. I was informed about the open call to participate in the project, and I have applied. Now that I know more about their work, I will also try to be more involved in their activities. In regard to Urban Sports, I was always a big fan, but only from the outside, I was always more involved with formal sports, especially Karate.

What was your experience like at the urban sports camp?

It was challenging to leave our comfort zone, travel to Hungary, meet new people and practice new sports. But in the end, it was amazing, although I must confess that Parkour was very hard. But I gave my best, so I’m happy.

What did you learn from the local event organisation? How did you feel, what challenges did you have and how did you overcome them?

From the local event organisation, I have developed my hard skills, by trying for the first time Parkour, and improved my game in Streetball and in Street Workout, which I have already experienced in the past. I was terrified regarding Parkour because the exercises looked very difficult and I’m very demanding with myself regarding failure, but I was very proud because I have fighted my fears. But definitely the biggest asset of the local event was the development of my soft skills like resilience, problem solving and teamwork.

What are you most looking forward to about what’s yet to come in the UUM project?

I am very excited to receive our colleagues and friends in the beautiful village of Cascais in April, and I’m also very anxious about our next meetings abroad. I love to communicate and to meet new people from different cultures. I hope to evolve as a person and that this can help me in my professional life.