2 one-year volunteer positions in Rota Vicentina to work in Responsible Tourism area
From October 2023 to September 2024, Rota Vicentina Association will host two young volunteers, between 18 and 30 years old, who would like to join the Rota Vicentina team, in Southwest of Portugal, providing support to the project and receiving a volunteer stipend.
One volunteer will focus more on Walking Trails and maintenance, while the other volunteer will focus more on Rota Vicentina network and local community. Both volunteers will have an active role in communication.
Click to see the detail of each position ?
Position 1 | Walking trails maintenance and communication
The volunteer will be welcomed by the Rota Vicentina Association for 12 months, with the aim of integrating the Maintenance Walking Trail and Volunteering areas (on the field, but also with the remote volunteering platform) and producing compelling and quality multimedia content – articles, photography and video – on the various dimensions of the Rota Vicentina project.
Tasks include:
– To support the organization and effective field work during the walking trails maintenance and other specific activities, such as garbage collection, invasive species removal, collection of field monitorization data, environmental awareness activities;
– To cover all maintenance activities with photography and/or video for sharing via social networks;
– To produce content about walking trails, maintenance and volunteering for social networks and Rota Vicentina blog;
– To recruit, support and monitor volunteers and caretakers, with the aim to strengthening the current network of volunteers;
– To assist in the preparation of the internal newsletter for partners, volunteers, caretakers;
– To assist in the preparation of special events.
Learning outcomes:
– To work in the associative environment
– To work with a team and to collaborate
– To develop/manage projects
– To communicate online
– To contact partners, volunteers and local community
– To register information and organize it
– To visit other projects and to learn from them
– To support the community and be part of it.
Volunteer profile:
Interests
– Passion for the rural world and for living in small environments (one year living in shared house with other volunteers in a rural village)
– Interest in the areas of nature tourism, responsible tourism and sustainable development
– Conservation
– Photography and / or video
– Travel writing
– Outdoor sports:Trekking and cycling
– Social networks
– Mastering communication and information technologies
– Language skills and clear motivation to learn Portuguese language
Personal skills
– Responsibility, autonomy, dynamism and creativity
– Organization and proactivity
– Good communicator and excellent interpersonal skills
– Teamwork
– Proficiency in spoken and written English and/or Portuguese
– Native language and English traduction
– Flexibility to work at weekend
– Interest and technical knowledge for creating and publishing digital media files – audio, video, photo and other graphic materials (flyers, posters), design and communication
– Having a driving license is recommended.
Position 2 | Local community and touristic offer
The volunteer should support the promotion of qualified tourism with a cultural aspect, using storytelling: connect local companies, local communities and heritage elements.
It’s intended, through this mission, that the volunteer becomes aware and that he can contribute to the manifestation of responsible tourism practices.
Tasks include:
– To make research about material and immaterial heritage, cultural initiatives around Rota Vicentina members (small tourism businesses)
– To visit and to interview Rota Vicentina companies about cultural aspects
– With the work did before, to produce content (texts and/or photos) to present the qualified tourist offer of Rota Vicentina members in English end/or Portuguese
– To produce innovative content (text, photos, illustration, video…) for Rota Vicentina social networks and Rota Vicentina blog) about local community, heritage and touristic offer in English and/or native language;
– To participate and support the team in all the activities of the association.
Learning outcomes:
– To work in the associative environment
– To work with a team and to collaborate
– To develop/manage projects
– To communicate online
– To contact partners and local community
– To register information and organize it
– To visit other projects and to learn from them
– To support the community and be part of it
– To turn a descriptive content in a promotion content.
Volunteer profile:
Interests
– Interest in the areas of nature tourism, responsible tourism and sustainable development
– Ability/interest to adapt to an environment with low density population
– Contact with the local community, get to know various aspects of a culture
– Photography and/or video
– Travel writing and/or drawing
– Outdoor sports:Trekking and cycling
– Social networks and communication
– Mastering communication and information technologies
– Language skills and clear motivation to learn Portuguese language
Personal skills
– Responsibility, autonomy, dynamism and creativity
– Organization and proactivity
– Good communicator and excellent interpersonal skills
– Teamwork
– Proficiency in spoken and written English and/or Portuguese
– Traduction Native language/English
– Graphic Design
– Photography and/or video
– Storytelling e copywriting
– Interest and technical knowledge for creating and publishing digital media files – audio, video, photo and other graphic materials (flyers, posters), design and communication
– Having a driving license is recommended.
Hosting organization and logistics
Rota Vicentina is much more than trails with its diverse and unique offers. It’s a living network that connects people, territory and heritage, contributing to the sustainability of the rural areas of this special region.
Rota Vicentina office is in the village of Odemira, which is also the county seat, in Alentejo region. This municipality is the largest in Portugal, in terms of territory area, with a marked population dispersion. It has rural characteristics, especially in the interior areas. The coastal strip has many beaches with a strong tourist activity in summer.
Odemira currently has about 3200 inhabitants, three schools, two pharmacies, a library, a day care center and a home to support the elderly, a long term care unit, a recreational society, health center, banks, mini-markets and a traditional market, gas stations, several cafes and restaurants, other small local commerce initiatives. It is a region with a marked rural exodus, with a tendency for the population with higher academic qualifications to move to the cities.
The volunteer will be accommodated in a shared house, in the center of Odemira (together with other 3 volunteers), in which she/he will have a single room. The house will be fully equipped, with a common room and kitchen where they can prepare their meals.
All meals will be the responsibility of the volunteer, guaranteed through a budget delivered to the volunteer on a monthly basis.
For travel within the scope of Volunteering, transportation will be provided by the Association. The remaining trips will be provided by the local transport network.
It’s necessary that the volunteer brings his/her personal equipment, in particular a computer. If you don’t have one, please mention it in the motivation letter.
There are several types (and durations) of volunteering in Rota Vicentina. This opportunity is part of the “Regenerar Odemira II” project, coordinated by the Municipality of Odemira, in collaboration with 5 local associations (Caco, Foz do Mira, Gaia Alentejo, Project Earth Art, and Rota Vicentina) and is part of the European Solidarity Corps. These organizations will also host volunteers. More information here.
Irene Nunes was born in France, in 1986. She graduated in International Relations, but it was in Ecotourism and Environmental Education that she found her path. Various experiences in tourism, nature, and culture inspired her journey and brought her to the Southwest of Portugal. Since 2017, she has been responsible for the Walking Trails and […]
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