Bona Fides Association and Embaixada da Juventude are looking for 2 Polish participants to join an amazing long-term ESC project in Portugal with Social Innovation Village!
Place: Fundão and Penamacor, Portugal
Starting: from June\July\August 2026
Duration: 5 months (145 days)
Welcome to Innovation Village
Welcome! You are about to join a small, passionate team working in one of Portugal’s most beautiful yet underserved regions — the interior Beira Baixa. Innovation Village is a social innovation organisation based between Fundão and Penamacor, addressing interconnected community challenges through hands-on solidarity action.
As a long-term ESC volunteer, you are not a visitor or a tourist. You will be a genuine team member — contributing to real community needs, developing recognised competences, and experiencing authentic rural Portuguese life.
About Social Innovation Village
Social Innovation Village brings together volunteers, communities, and local organisations to tackle real social challenges in central Portugal’s interior — through technology, sustainable housing, and grassroots community work.
Our Mission
Enable young people to contribute meaningfully to society while developing personal, professional, and civic competences through hands-on solidarity activities.
Your Volunteering Role
Individual volunteers at Innovation Village are placed in one of two activity streams depending on your interests, skills, and our current programme needs. Both streams run for up to 10 months (approximately 300 activity days), starting in June 2026.
Stream A — Digital Bridges: Technology for Social Inclusion
You will work as a Digital Inclusion Facilitator — helping excluded community members (elderly residents, unemployed youth, immigrant families) to access and use technology with confidence. This is not an IT technician role; you are a patient educator and community connector.
Typical weekly schedule:
• Monday–Tuesday: One-on-one digital literacy sessions (4–6 sessions per day)
• Wednesday: Small-group workshop + community drop-in support hours
• Thursday: Learning material development + coordination meetings
• Friday: Community outreach, team meeting, and reflection
Key tasks include teaching essentials (email, video calls, online government services, banking), developing multilingual guides, and staffing community technology access points at local libraries and senior centres.
Stream B — Sustainable Futures: Housing & Environmental Innovation
You will contribute to hands-on sustainable building projects — learning and applying eco-friendly construction methods including open-source WikiHouse systems, natural materials (timber, straw, clay), CNC fabrication, and renewable energy installation. You will also facilitate community workshops sharing these techniques.
Typical time split:
• 50% hands-on construction and fabrication on site
• 25% community education and workshops
• 15% documentation and open-source knowledge sharing
• 10% design, planning, and coordination support
Construction work is conducted under qualified professional supervision at all times. Comprehensive safety training is provided before you begin any site work.
THE INFOPACK
The infopack covers everything you need to know before, during and after your placement. Read it carefully and bring your questions to your first video call with our team.
Application
To apply please forward your CV and a motivation letter (in English) to: mariachiara@bonafides.pl and anna@bonafides.pl with a title: ‘ESC in Portugal’ or contact us for any further information!
Check out all the projects Bona Fides is currently recruiting for
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evs4polish
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bonafides_wolontariat_eks/
Website: https://evs.bonafides.pl/category/aktualne-nabory/