By Edson Eduardo, Senior Development Instructor
It’s Saturday morning – outside it’s sunny and warm. Spring has arrived, making our days full of colour and beauty! As usual, students and teachers had breakfast together and afterwards head to the cleaning time. At 9, everyone meets in the main Hall ready to get to know the plan for the next two days.
But it’s not a normal day – it is Building Weekend!
Everyone is supposed to learn, and we do it by doing!
During the building weekends, students and teachers are divided into groups to take charge of many tasks. Those tasks involve gardening, building maintenance, cleaning and cooking. Everything is well-planned and organised before and students are not chosen based on their skills. Everyone is supposed to learn, and we do it by doing!
Sometimes students are chosen to do something they have never done before, and that is the key point – the opportunity to embrace the challenge, to ask questions, and to learn by doing. In a way that by the end of the weekend, they can say “this weekend I have learned how to do this or that!” Sounds proud and it is indeed!
Time is also an important thing to consider. The ability to manage time, since we have only two days to complete the task, is very important. And how do we do it? Organising ourselves, listening to the leader of the task and helping him/her to find the best way to start and to develop the activity, being realistic and doing as much as we can.
Training in leadership
Leadership is one of the skills that we learn in the building weekend. As I mentioned before, at this time Fabio and Lucas are responsible for leading the weekend, and they will take out many things from this – like explaining tasks and activities in a different language, getting feedback, listening to the others and finding better ways to do things. Keep the eyes in the groups supporting them, lead follow-up meetings during the weekend and conclude in the common meeting. It is challenging and good for self-improvement!
Preparation for the 6 months volunteer period
Our building weekends are one of the ways to prepare the students for the projects in Malawi or Zambia. They take place once a month in our school, where we have the opportunity to learn and grow while we build our school. The results of this are more learning, teambuilding and a good environment to live in.
If you feel inspired while you were reading this and you want to live this experience, don’t hesitate to contact us! We have a new team starting in July and more building weekends coming up soon. Join us!!
