Volunteering Festival 2024

On 24 May, Cascais celebrated the start of the Volunteering Festival 2024, marking the year in which it became the first Portuguese Volunteering Capital. Two days of activities and tributes highlight the importance of volunteering in the community. The event, which took place over two days, 24 and 25 May, was held in the Quinta da Carreira Urban Park, from 10h00 to 18h00. With a programme full of musical entertainment, street food vans and various informative and entertaining activities, the festival promises to be a great celebration of the recognition and appreciation of voluntary work in the region. The festival is a time to pay tribute to the volunteers in the municipality and the organisations that host them. On the first day, dedicated to the school community, and on the second to the community in general, everyone is invited to take part - from the school community to the volunteer organisations, their beneficiaries, volunteers, family and friends. "This work, as well as being very worthy, should also be recognised by public bodies, such as Cascais Town Hall, because these are people who contribute every day to making the municipality of Cascais an increasingly fair, supportive and neighbourly municipality," praised Nuno Piteira Lopes, vice-president of Cascais Town Hall. The Volunteer Market and the Volunteer Work Recognition Ceremony will take place on both days of the festival. These events are essential for raising the profile of volunteer organisations and their projects, as well as paying tribute to the work carried out by these organisations and their volunteers. "This year we've had more than 1,700,000 hours of volunteering. If we consider, for example, 10 euros for each hour of volunteering, we're talking about more than 17 million euros brought into the municipality's social economy through the work of all these people," said Nuno Piteira Lopes, vice-president of Cascais Town Council, adding: "We believe that we should extend this whole spirit of volunteering and encourage and foster this spirit among young people too. We believe that if we start with the youngest, in a few generations we'll have a more supportive population in Cascais, one that is more available and always ready to help its neighbours, without expecting anything in return." The Volunteering Festival aims not only to recognise the value of volunteers, but also to promote a culture of volunteering in Cascais, highlighting the crucial role it plays in social cohesion and improving the community's quality of life. The event promises to be a vibrant celebration of volunteering, bringing together volunteer agents and the community in a spirit of learning, sharing and socialising, promoting a fairer and more cohesive society.