Discover there is more to people than meets the eye through the ‘EQuê?!’ Campaign

For those of you who follow the Juventude Cruz Vermelha Braga page on Facebook, you will have hopefully been aware of the weekly pictures being posted for our ‘EQuê?!’ campaign over the course of the last couple of months.

The ‘EQuê?!’ campaign focuses on stereotypes. Preconceived ideas and beliefs we inherit socially, stereotypes can be placed on specific groups of individuals or certain ways of doing things. They are notions that exist and are omnipresent in our day to day life, and can have a strong influence on how we both think and act. Stereotypes have developed over the course of time, whilst new ones continue to develop, becoming part of an individual’s psyche through the influence of family, literature, internet and media, among other mediums.

Some argue stereotypes are a natural way for us to categorise, understand, and give meaning to the world around us, though I would contest how naturally these develop. We may develop these beliefs through natural assimilation but the agendas of certain people and organisations mean they impose certain immoral ideas on us that we then take on, either consciously or subconsciously. A current and highly topical example is the stereotyping of 1.7 billion Muslims as terrorists and a threat to Western ideals – like these ideals are superior to all others - by certain individuals and sections of the media in order to fit their agenda, a ghastly case of ignorance and racism. Therefore, to say stereotypes are dangerous is an understatement, they are extremely threatening. Generalisations like this can lead to discrimination of various degrees and undermine people’s understanding of one another. As a result, it is a feasible to argue that stereotypes actually hold us back and that we should do our utmost to counteract them, instead spreading a positive message.

This is where JCV – Braga’s ‘EQuê?!’ campaign comes in. Most appropriately translated as ‘SoWhat?!’, ‘EQuê?!’ is a campaign looking to challenge common stereotypes that have developed, dispelling the idea that people can be forced into certain categories or characterised in particular ways. With all of us at some point or another in our lives being judged or labelled, we want to show that stereotypes do not in fact reflect our reality and that there is more to people than simply meets the eye.

An online photographic project, each week a new image is shared on the Juventude Cruz Vermelha Braga page on Facebook, where we encourage everyone to like and share the image so that we can have as far-reaching an impact as possible. The participants are those who we encounter regularly in our daily lives and we want to show, that despite seemingly appearing to fit in to certain categories or groups, that they are unique people who challenge stereotypes due to their individual characteristics, qualities and experiences. They remind us, that despite differences, they are equal to us and each of us is our own individual being with our own identity; we cannot be shoehorned into categories. At the end of the article I will share with you the link to the relevant Facebook page as well as including all the photos that have been published thus far.

The ‘EQuê?!’ campaign is actually really simple in its premise. All it requires is some willing participants to have their photographs taken, holding a placard demystifying a common stereotype that if often levelled against them but is completely erroneous. Then after a little photo editing to include all the campaign images they are ready to be shared online. Following this it is a case of getting the word out and working hard to make sure the campaign reaches as many people as possible. Clearly a lot of this is done through social media but other efforts, including this blog, can help spread the message. Last week, Tania and Luis also conducted an interview with RUM, the University of Minho’s radio station in order to help disseminate the message further.

The link for the corresponding article on RUM’s website can be found here:

http://rum.pt/news/juventude-cruz-vermelha-de-braga-quer-quebrar-preconceitos

The phrase ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ is very applicable here. We hope this campaign will show there is more to people than meets the eye. I believe that this campaign contains a very important message and each and every one of us can take something from it. You may learn something new or realise that, for example, you had a preconceived idea about a particular group, whether intentional or not, and a relevant image discredits that belief.

Additionally, if you want to be more involved, you could be one of our participants! Take a look at the photos below and consult the Facebook page, and if you feel that you dispel a stereotype you can take a photo demonstrating just that. Just write your message on a white card and make sure you include the campaign name, ‘EQuê?!’ Then you can email your photo to us at dbraga.juventude@cruzvermelha.org.pt. It really is simple and does not take long and in doing so you will be helping to disseminate the message that stereotypes are misleading.

So, take the time to understand our motivations and objectives by having a look at the campaign and help spread our work to create a Juventude sem Rótulos! (Youth without Labels!)

This is a link to the Facebook page of Juventude Cruz Vermelha Braga:

https://www.facebook.com/JCVbraga/

You can also go directly to the campaign photos by using this link:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/JCVbraga/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10154672594941542

Here are the campaign photos thus far:

"I am blind but, I am independent, I work, I walk,
I take care of myself - E Quê?!"

"I am Muslim. I am not a terrorist. I stand for peace - E Quê?!"

"I have Down syndrome and I have a shop! - E Quê?!"

"Rasta does not always equal drugs! - E Quê?!"

"When I get emotional I cry! - E Quê?!"

"I am a woman and I don't need help parking the car"
"But I do - E Quê?!"

"I am Catholic and I go to mass every Sunday - E Quê"

"I am the coach tor for the national futsal team, and I dedicate my
free time to children with special educational needs - E Quê?!"

"I finished my bachelor's degree at 36 years old - E Quê?!"

"I am Muslim and I choose to wear a Hijab."
"I am also Muslim and I choose not to wear - E Quê?!"

"I was born, I grew up and I lived in a problematic neighbourhood
and I am not a delinquent - E Quê?!"

"I am a boy and my favourite colour is pink - E Quê?!

"I am Roma, I study, I work and I am single! - E Quê?!"

"Getting married? I choose not to do- E Quê?!"

"I am Roma and I promote the empowering of women - E Quê?!"

Fomos Embrulhar uma Causa!

Throughout the busy run-up to Christmas, Juventude Cruz Vermelha – Delegação de Braga once again embarked on one of its biggest annual actions, Venha Embrulhar uma Causa! This year led by the first-rate efforts of Rita Vaz, this campaign was an important part of raising funds that will allow the vital work undertaken at JCV to continue into the future.

The concept was simple; members of the public were able to bring their gifts to us and we wrapped them all ready to be given for Christmas! Continente supplied all the materials required such as wrapping paper whilst JCV provided the motivated and enthusiastic workforce. Whilst we were like busy bees wrapping away, we also explained to the public why we were undertaking the action and if they chose to do so, they were able to make a small donation, for which we are grateful, no matter how big or small the sum.

Therefore, every day from the 25^th November right up until Christmas Eve, from half past eight in the morning until half past eleven at night, you would have been able to find a group of volunteers located outside the Continente supermarkets at Nova Arcada and The Minho Center respectively, eagerly waiting to wrap presents.

Requiring a huge effort from so many people, it brought volunteers together from all different areas of Juventude as well as introducing new people to our work.  In total, nearly 500 fantastic volunteers came together to help fill approximately 1500 shifts. Both of the wrapping stations were in operation for a total of 465 hours each over the Christmas period! As such, it led to paths crossing that had not before, the action granting myself and others the opportunity to meet new people and learn more about what it is they do, whether they were a veteran or completely new volunteer.

An experience that can certainly have been described as stressful at times, you certainly felt the pressure of wrapping other peoples’ gifts for them. As a result, it was always key to remind yourself that you were not expected to be an expert in the art of gift wrapping - though it would have made things a lot easier - but rather that you were volunteering for a good cause and can only give it your best.

As well as allowing me to meet new people, Venha Embrulhar uma Causa was the perfect environment for me to practice my Portuguese, something that requires constant work as I look to master the language. Often the client began talking to me in Portuguese at 100kmh but once I explained that it is not my first language they slowed their speech for me. There were also several cases where people took the opportunity to switch to English; everyone often seems keen to practice themselves and I didn’t want to begrudge them the opportunity, even though I was keen to practice my Portuguese. However, I definitely think the experience benefited my Portuguese; at the very least I am now able to say ‘vermelho ou amarelho papel?’ like I have been saying it my entire life.

Finally the 24^th December arrived and with it came down the curtains on another year of Christmas wrapping. In order to celebrate the efforts of everyone’s hard work a lavish evening was arranged at Lustre in the centre of Braga on 7^th January. There, all those who had volunteered were able to come together to enjoy each other’s company, eat some marvellous food, as well as have a bit of a boogie. However, before the dancing could commence, some important announcements were made! Firstly to thank all who had taken part in the campaign, followed by the awarding of prizes to the three volunteers who had completed the most hours of wrapping. First prize was brunch for two but despite my best efforts I couldn’t convince the winner to take me! Then, finally, it was time to declare just how much had been raised. In total, Venha Embrulhar uma Causa raised a total of 9,258.81€ in 2016! This was an extraordinary success, with the generosity of the public resulting in a final total with an increase of over 2500€ on the previous year.

Finally, already mentioned in the opening, a big shout must also go out to Rita, who was responsible for organising the whole event this year. Rita worked tirelessly to make sure everything ran smoothly during the campaign and spent what must have been a considerable amount of time on the phone asking people when they were available to help; I wouldn’t like to see the phone bill for December! I believe, if it was not for Rita’s efforts, it is feasible to think that Venha Embrulhar uma Causa 2016 would not have been anywhere near as successful as it turned out to be.

JCV in Prado

Last week I got the opportunity to take a break from the normal routine and go and help out with the summer activities for the young people at Juventude Cruz Vermelha in Prado, a small town about 5km outside of Braga. Here they work with several Roma communities in a similar way to Geração Tecla, providing various types of support to the families.

One of the great aspects about Prado is that they have a beautiful river running next to the town and during the summer, with the centre only a five minute walk away, it is a great place to take the kids for them to have a swim, play games and just enjoy the good weather. We went to three different beaches during my week with them and each one was just as beautiful as the first. I don’t think I have ever experienced a river like it before with the water so fresh and clear; I could literally see tiny little fish swimming around my feet.

We were also able to go kayaking and the young people really enjoyed being able to do something different and go out to explore the river. There were sand banks where we could stop and have a quick dip in the middle of the river, and they also really enjoyed hearing the echo of their voices as we passed under a bridge near the beach from which we set off. I did end up getting rather wet in my kayak though as some of the kids’ techniques at using the paddles did result in a lot of splashback.

There was one rather amusing moment on Wednesday afternoon. We had been to visit the swimming pools in Braga in the morning before returning to Prado to have a picnic and spend the afternoon at the river. Out of nowhere a bag of make-up was produced and out came the nail varnish. I was more than happy to put my feet forward to be painted and I must say a rather impressive job was done on my nails.

A lot of table football was also played before and after activities, with the games highly competitive. The young people were keen to see how I shaped up and a few of them were a lot better than me to say the least. However this was a really good opportunity to build up my relationship with the young people and to communicate with them as best I could with my limited Portuguese.

If we had not also spent at least one afternoon playing actual football then I would have thought that something was wrong. The football club in Prado is located behind the centre and we were able to use one of their smaller five-a-side pitches to have a small game. This was a lot of fun and it also descended into something of a water fight due to the high temperatures that we have recently been experiencing as everyone tried to cool down.

We also spent one afternoon doing some art and craft. By taking a load of wine corks and a hot glue gun, you are able to make a really simple mat for your hot pans. You glue the corks together in pairs and can then arrange them in a way to make a neat pattern. After this you can decorate it in any way you see fit; by using varnish you can keep the simple appearance of the corks but you can also paint them and even add a bit of glitter. The results were excellent, with the young people working together and helping each other to create the mats.

I had such a great week getting to know the kids in a very relaxed environment and they equally seemed to enjoy having me around to take part in the activities with them so the week felt like a very worthwhile and rewarding experience. I really enjoyed communicating with them and getting involved with their activities; it was a massive help for my Portuguese and a few of them even relished the opportunity to try speaking a bit of English with me, something I was more than happy to do. 

Geração Tecla

Last week I spent a lot of time helping out at Geração Tecla so I thought now was a good time to explain what they do there and how I and the other EVS have been getting involved. Geração Tecla is a project that works for the social inclusion of young people and young adults from vulnerable socio-economic backgrounds. They look to provide equal opportunities and foster social cohesion. The project works with the young people from the Social District of Santa Tecla which includes a large Roma community with whom a lot of their work is primarily with.

The overall aims of the project are:

• To promote school inclusion of the children and youth of the Roma community
• Promoting community and citizenship of children and youth of the Social District of Santa Tecla
• To promote vocational training and employability of young people and young adults of the neighbourhood

During the summer a number of activities are run for the young people to enjoy and I was also able to help out with a number of them over the last couple of weeks, including one I organised myself!

I’m going to call the activity organised crazy games which explains itself in a way; I prepared a number of games for the children to just get stuck into and have some fun. These included an egg and spoon race, three-legged run and a leap-frog race. The best game was probably a water race where the teams had to fill up large jugs from a large bucket but the only way they could transport the water was with cups that I had cut a number of holes into. It is safe to say everyone got very wet.

We also spent a morning at Bom Jesus, a beautiful site, high up the valley side. There we all split up into teams for orienteering which gave everyone the chance to explore the area on a glorious morning. I went with one team and it is safe to say I probably did most of the map reading for the young people.

The day after the visit to Bom Jesus, I again went on an excursion with some of the children from Geração Tecla. This was very exciting as it was an opportunity for them to try American Football, a sport very few of them had experienced before. At a number of stations they were able to try kicking, passing, making runs and catching the ball and also flag football. Everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves.

It is really good to help with these activities as it provides opportunities to those who would not probably get them and being able to help in delivering that, even if it is in a small way, is very rewarding. I also like to think that I have already developed some good relationships with the young people at the project and with another nine months of my EVS to go, I hope I can continue to develop these. The work those at Geração Tecla do is vital in equipping the young people and young adults with the skills that can help them as independent people later in their lives, whether it is a hard skill such as helping with academic work or soft skills such as communicating effectively or team work.

Another really exciting thing that happened last week was the painting of the stairs leading up to the building. Carlotta, with the help of Alifya, worked really hard to add some extra colour to the building and the results are excellent. I could try and describe it but I think the best thing to do is add a picture.

I also continue to go and play football with the young people, though the amount of times I have now been nutmegged by a number of the kids is starting to get embarrassing; they just have a technical ability that I am not able to contend with. Though I suppose not having much in the way of technical ability is pretty typical for an English football player; please refer to Euro 2016 for evidence. However what really continues to amaze me when I go to play football is the respect shown by everyone to one another. The young people are all extremely competitive but they are very good at refereeing the game among themselves and very rarely is there any disagreements, something which you would not find in England from my experience.

It was also a very important week for Geração Tecla as they held their party to mark the end of the academic year. A large chunk of the community was in attendance as well as a number of special guests, including the President of the Red Cross in Braga. Following some speeches a number of awards were given out to the young people who had shown excellent commitment to school over the course of the year. An important part of the work of Geração Tecla, celebrating those who have demonstrated this commitment is a way of continuing to highlight the importance of this to everyone. After the awards had been given out, we were able to enjoy some traditional Roma dancing by some of the older young people before some food and cake was laid out. A mad rush by the children ensued for all the good food before the adults were left to eat the healthy bits remaining.

Barriquinha de São João

Currently taking place in Braga is the festival of São João, which means nearly two weeks of festivities. Celebrated annually, São João - Saint John the Baptist - is the patron saint of Braga with the city being completely taken over for the celebrations.

An aspect of these festivities is the fair, with lots of small barraquinhas - small tents- that line either side of Avenida da Liberdade, one of the main roads into the centre of Braga. These stalls sell literaly everything from fresh bread all the way to sunglasses. One of these stalls is occupied by Ponto Vermelho - Red Dot - a project run by Juventude Cruz Vermelha.

Ponto is a project of social entrepreneurship which aims to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people in Braga. The project's main objective is to provide to those most in need free necessities, which have been donated to them, such as clothing and footwear, among other things. Therefore Ponto kind of works in a similar to foodbanks in the UK; the organisation receives donations and then these are redistributed where needed most. Additionally,

Ponto also has a shop selling second-hand items to the general public. I have even been able to pick-up a couple of items up there myself and the funds that are raised are used to help contribute to the financial sustainability of the Red Cross in Braga.

Throughout the festival of São João, the barraquinha of Ponto is open and manned, selling a variety of items from scarves and books, to cooking utensils and jewelry. Everyone from Juventude contributes by taking some shifts in order to make sure that the barraquinha always has enough help. With the stall open until 11 at night during the week and midnight at the weekends, everyone takes shifts of three hours in order to make sure no-one is overworked.

Everything at the stall is sold for the grand total of 1 Euro which means you can pick up some real bargains. This also helps us EVS volunteers who are still getting a grasp of Portuguese. Whilst helping at the stall is really good for practicing the language it does mean that if we are confused and do not understand what is said, we can simply reply with, 'Tudo é um Euro', which as you can imagine means, 'Everything is one Euro'. 

The final thing to add is that it is a really good way for us to raise awareness about Ponto Vermelho and its mission, which is to promote equal access to basic necessities. By having this stall they are able to encourage more people to volunteer or donate items for the shop. It can also have a cumulative effect as someone can see the stand and mention it by word-of-mouth further raising awareness. It is also a lot of fun to break from normal routine and experience something different. Helping at the barraquinha is a different way of experiencing the work that Juventude Cruz Vermelha does and how they can do extra things to promote themselves.

+Atitude Football Tournament!

This May, the project +Atitude held their annual football tournament, which is always a hotly contested event. +Atitude is a project that works to prevent the use of drugs among young people at schools and foster homes. Through a wide variety of activities, and largely with a peer-to-peer approach, they intend to develop within the young people they work with the skills and competencies that will allow them to say no to things such as drugs. The purpose is not to purely frighten them and intimidate them into saying no, but rather equip the young people with the confidence and willpower to make a choice and refuse. One of the ways they try to develop these competencies is by providing healthy free time activities and the football tournament they organise each year is always popular.

An inter-schools event, throughout the month of May, each of the participating schools - Escola Básic (EB) Andre Soares, EB Francisco Sanches, EB Frei Caetano Brandao, EB de Real - held matches after school in their own individual tournaments to decide the top team from each who would go on to participate in the grand final. I was able to go to a few of these matches and help to referee and it was clear to see how much the young people wanted to be the top team in their school. However the games were also played with a great deal of respect and if there ever was a foul, there would be no arguing or fighting about
it, those who were involved would shake hands 
and carry on.

Once the preliminary tournaments had been completed, it was on to the grand final. Prior to this, the young people had requested a draw be made to find out who would play whom in the semi-finals. We therefore decided to make a video in the office with an FA Cup style draw taking place to determine the fixtures. The video, which can be found below, features Luís Saldanha as the commentator, joint coordinator of the project along with Vanda Araújo who also features, and Tânia Gomes, the Coordinator of Juventude Cruz Vermelha in Braga. Not only that I also took part in the filming of the video, helping to draw the balls. I was also persuaded to wear a shirt and tie in order to heighten the sincerity of the event.

It was then on to the final event on a glorious Saturday morning. Everyone arrived in good time and was very keen to get going. We began with a short activity highlighting the importance of fair play and team values; it was considered worthwhile to do this because we wanted those participating to take more away from this than solely the enjoyment of playing football. Each team had a set of words such as 'honour', 'respect' and 'team value' and they had to pick those which they felt were most important. 

Then we had the semi-finals and we were fortunate to have two professional referees volunteer their time to officiate. It had been decided in the draw that EB Andre Soares was to play EB Francisco Sanches, whilst EB de Real was to face EB Frei Caetano Brandao. The games were very well competed with Francisco Sanches defeating Andre Soares by nine goals to seven and Real victorious over Frei Caetano Brandao by seven goals to four. 

Therefore Francisco Sanches and Real faced up in the final to decide the overall winner of the inters-schools tournament. Real started the better of the two teams and went three goals up before Francisco Sanches were able to respond with a goal of their own. However despite their best efforts, Francisco Sanches were never quite able to close the gap, with Real victorious by five goals to three.

After the tournament had ended we then had the presentations, with all the students receiving a certificate and the winners, EB de Real, accepting their trophy. We also had a trophy for the team who had demonstrated the best fair play and this was awarded to EB Frei Caetano Brandao. The whole tournament was a great success and it was great to see the students so enthusiastic. It is good to think that these sorts of activities can benefit young people by equipping them with competencies they can use to make sensible decision in the future.