Contemporary society faces challenges that require collective action and a spirit of solidarity to overcome adversity. In this context, solidarity and volunteering have emerged as fundamental pillars to help support humanitarian causes that dignify human beings physically, mentally and emotionally. Solidarity refers to the union and mutual support between people, while volunteering involves offering time and skills to social causes without the expectation of financial reward.

Discover some ways to practise solidarity and volunteering, both individually and collectively.

Community Impact
 

Volunteering is a practice that has the power to change lives and transform communities. Through the act of donating their time and energy to help other people, volunteers not only improve the lives of those they help, but also enrich their own lives and contribute to a more supportive and united society. Volunteering can help combat poverty, hunger and social exclusion, among other problems.

What's more, when people get involved in volunteering projects, they can create a sense of cohesion and unity in the community, which can improve everyone's general well-being and quality of life. Volunteering can also be a way of acquiring new skills and experiences, which can be useful for one's professional career or personal life. The impact of volunteering on the community is significant and long-lasting, and can help to create a fairer, more inclusive and united society.

Contribute to reducing inequalities

Poverty is a global problem that affects millions of people, depriving them of basic rights such as food, health, education, housing and dignity. To combat poverty and inequality, we can support charitable organisations or associations that provide direct or indirect assistance to the poorest, such as Caritas, the Red Cross, UNICEF, among others. We can also take part in campaigns to collect food, clothing, medicines or other essential goods for victims of emergencies such as wars, natural disasters or pandemics.

Living Tours promotes initiatives such as the internal "Livingtourianos com causa 1x1" programme, which exemplifies this commitment by dedicating a meal to needy and homeless people for every tour participant. The money is distributed to local and national organisations that provide the meals.

Living Tours donates to Porta Solidária
 

It also encourages its employees to volunteer regularly, and organises at least once a month a volunteering action in conjunction with two social support institutions: CASA (Homeless Support Centre), which provides meals, clothes, hygiene products, medical, legal and social assistance, and Porta Solidária, which offers accommodation, training, employment and integration. Living Tours employees help prepare the food kits and distribute them to the neediest people, as well as collecting donations and raising awareness among the population.

Social Inclusion

Social inclusion is an important theme that focuses on ensuring that all people, regardless of their origin, gender, age, abilities or socio-economic status, have access to the same rights and opportunities. Social inclusion is a fundamental part of solidarity and volunteering, as it helps to ensure that the most vulnerable people in society are supported and cared for.

Social inclusion is important because it helps to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to live a full and meaningful life. When people are excluded from society, they can feel isolated, lonely and desperate. This can lead to mental and physical health problems, as well as a diminished quality of life. By promoting social inclusion, we can help ensure that everyone is respected for who they are, regardless of their background or personal circumstances.

Living Cruise offer of a two-hour cruise on the River Douro with DJ for people in need from the Anjos Amigos Institution
 

Living Tours has also played a crucial role in this regard, earmarking donations for social projects in local communities that combat poverty and social exclusion, such as Make-A-Wish, which fulfils the dreams of children and young people with serious illnesses. These efforts not only mitigate the immediate impacts of poverty, but also seek long-term solutions.

What's more, this year Living Tours, together with the "Anjos Amigos" association, gave needy and homeless people a boat party on the Douro River. This group was able to enjoy a unique experience of joy and relaxation, some of them for the first time on a boat trip.

Helping others: essential goods and emotional support

Solidarity is not limited to material matters, but also involves caring for the psychological and emotional well-being of others. We can help our neighbours by offering our attention and ears, and by giving a word of comfort, encouragement, recognition or gratitude, with respect and without prejudice. This is part of the support we provide in our street volunteering activities.

We can also dedicate part of our time to visiting and accompanying people who feel alone, isolated or abandoned, such as the elderly, the sick, prisoners or refugees. We can also take part in psychosocial support projects, such as self-help groups or community therapies. Ensuring that people are physically and mentally well should therefore be the priority.

Living Tours also collaborates with the Campanhã Youth Centre, collecting and donating clothes to people in vulnerable situations. Living Tours donates used clothes, but in good condition, through its employees, which can be useful for people in need. By collaborating with projects that collect clothes for people at risk of social exclusion, Living Tours joins a wider movement of solidarity, offering some comfort, hope and dignity to those facing difficulties.

Living Tours also collects toys for underprivileged children and its donations also go towards ensuring that they have the school materials they need to succeed. It has also collaborated in collecting clothes to support the humanitarian aid going to Ukraine in 2022. And it has made a financial donation to help.rescue.org to support the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine as a result of the war.

Skills volunteering

Skills volunteering consists of sharing our knowledge, skills or talents with those who need them, contributing to their personal, professional or social development. We can do skills volunteering in areas such as education, health, culture, sport, the environment, technology and justice, among others.

For example, we can teach someone how to read and write, do the IRS, use a computer, speak a foreign language, play a musical instrument, practise a sport, look after a garden, cook, sew and much more.

Volunteers' humanitarian and civic development

Volunteers play a vital role in promoting solidarity and volunteering in their communities. They help build bridges between different groups of people, promote social inclusion and work to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable people in society. Volunteer humanitarian and civic development is key to ensuring that volunteers have the necessary skills and knowledge to fulfil these roles effectively.

Active participation in social causes can also raise awareness of these issues and encourage civic responsibility. Furthermore, when volunteers are well-trained and well-informed, they are able to work in the best way to promote solidarity and volunteering in society. This can lead to less social exclusion, greater well-being and a fairer, more equitable society.

Challenges for the future

Faced with the great challenges of trying to overcome cultural and economic barriers, the need for continuous and diversified action is essential. With this in mind, Living Tours' goal for the future is to expand its scope of action to a more international context, supporting Portuguese-speaking African countries.

One of the major obstacles to the constant implementation of solidarity and volunteer actions is the difficulty of organising them with official bodies. However, Living Tours doesn't let this affect its desire to continue contributing. On the other hand, in the face of a large number of institutions that really need help, there is always the feeling that there is always more that can be done, and that is what really motivates Living Tours to continue with its mission. Because it's with small steps that we move towards the truly great change we want to see in the world.

Solidarity and volunteering are therefore essential pillars for building a fairer and more compassionate society. Concrete actions, such as those promoted by Living Tours, highlight the importance of pooling efforts, resources and skills to transform lives and local communities, aiming for a future where dignity and mutual support are fundamental values.

Being supportive and voluntary brings us closer to achieving sustainability in an increasingly united and interdependent world.