Volunteer's main activities

These are the activities of Mó de Vida, the volunteers participate in.
Among them are :
- awareness actions
- sociocultural activities ( thematic lunches, cine eco movie festival...)
- assistance in the worldshop
- pausas justas (coffe breaks)
- bancas (stands)


• Awareness Actions
The responsible for these actions is Colette, and as a volunteer you will assist her in this kind of activity. The aim of awareness actions is to inform and sensibilise children and teenagers about fair trade and social based economy, mainly pupils and students. These actions are provided in basic schools and universities and special sociocultural events.

Mó de Vida team thinks it is more interesting for the schools to come directly at the worldshop, so that they can concretely witness the work in a fair-trade shop, by looking at the place and products, and talk to the workers : Carlos and Nuno. That is why these actions are mainly implemented directly at Mó de Vida worldshop. Before every activity, you will meet Colette in order to prepare the training program. We have organised different types of trainings which aims are:
• Understanding the role of every member of the fair trade system
• Comparing the different economical and trade systems : the fair one and the conventional one.
• Making the students discover themselves the concept of fair trade.
We have been using different means : Analysis e of products’ labels, projections of movies, reflection in small groups, games, powerpoints, price comparisons between fair products and conventional ones, debates… These educational activities allow the volunteers to express their ideas and above all create their own tools for awareness actions, and finally develop their own project. (read more)

• Sociocultural activities

Thematic lunches













When possible, depending on our activities, they usually happen once a month. The food cooked is related with the themes of the films showed and of the debates.
Ex: The “hortas urbanas” meeting, April 2008. Mó de Vida implemented a workshop about the creation of a organic urban garden. During this day, we visited our own urban garden and another one. Then, lunch was organised at Mó de Vida, where everyone brought something to share. In the afternoon, we watched a movie about food wastes.


“Cine eco” movie festival
It is organised during the fair trade weeks. Projection of movies about food sovereignty, environmental issues, globalisation and so on.
Participating in these activities helps the volunteers understand that fair trade is just part of more global issues, such as consumption habits, North/South relations, environmental issues, education for development or social based economy.

• Assistance in the worldshop













You will work everyday in the world shop, so it is a very important part of your activity. Most of your time will be spent at Mó de vida. It consists in :
• Decorating of the worldshop, introducing regurlaly alterations and updating the supports available, organising the products presentation.
• Assisting and communicate with fair-trade consumers.
• Helping Nuno and Carlos with the products supplies ( receiving the products, checking them, labelling them with Portuguese translations and prices and so on, preparing the products ordered by other cooperatives)
• Cleaning of the shop



• Pausa justa ( coffee breaks )
You will be Nuno’s assistant in this activity. It a special coffee break with fair trade products and/or from local producers, provided to public institutions and local organisations during their meetings, conferences, seminars, in order to promote solidarity and responsible consumption.

Before the activity, you will prepare the material, and then set up the coffee break, help the participants, give them information about fair trade and responsible consumption based on solidarity: This activity is actually in a growing phase at Mó.


• Bancas (stands)













This activity takes place in fairs or markets: The aim is to set up an exhibition and sale stand with fair trade products. During this activity, you will not only sell products but also give information about Fair Trade and what it is related to (consumption, environmental issues, globalisation, conventional trade…).