“It’s scary, but worth it”: ALMA Helps Youth in Portugal Reclaim Their Future
“I am a different person from who I was before the project.” That is how Lara Barcellos sums up her ALMA journey that began in uncertainty and ended in self-discovery.
Lara had already taken a bold step by moving from Brazil to Portugal. But after arriving, things did not unfold as she had hoped.
Despite her professional background, she found herself overlooked. The job market in Porto felt like a closed door, and without much local experience, opportunities slipped through her fingers. Then, everything suddenly changed.
In a WhatsApp group for job seekers, Lara noticed something that caught her eye: a promotional brochure for the ALMA PT project, which is part of the broader ALMA (Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve) initiative co-funded by the European Union and implemented by the European Social Fund Plus Social Innovation+ initiative. She clicked on it.
“I saw that my profile matched what they were looking for,” she recalls. “I was also attracted by the opportunity to gain professional and personal experience outside Portugal, which would contribute to my personal development and enhance my CV.”
She signed up for ALMA without really knowing what to expect. But what she discovered was a life-changing experience – an initiative designed for young people aged 18 to 29 who are not in employment, education, or training.
In Lisbon, Maria Pires had been grappling with similar fears. “I was always a very shy person,” she says. “Afraid to live a life that I always wanted.”
One morning, Maria received an email from Portugal’s Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP) about ALMA. The project’s description intrigued her. It felt daunting, but she agreed to attend the first session.
“I came to the session and was the only person there,” she remembers. “Although I was super shy and felt very awkward, it was amazing to meet my future mentor.”
Both participants learned that ALMA PT starts with a training course in their home country. After that, young people spend a few months in another EU country, gaining hands-on work-related learning experience while a mentor guides them. When they return home, the support doesn’t stop. They are helped to apply their newly acquired skills towards employment or further education.
Through different paths, Lara, Maria, and 22 other young people joined a four-month transformational journey filled with guidance, support, and opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Participants began with weeks of training and group sessions designed to prepare them emotionally, mentally, and linguistically for future challenges.
“The experience was unique,” says Maria. “As someone who was afraid and shy, I will never forget how difficult it was to learn a new language. But the guidance and support from my mentor allowed me to conquer my fears.”
Then the majority of participants travelled abroad to learn new skills. Maria was placed in Spain, while Lara went to Germany. For both, the experience was intense, but deeply rewarding.
“I wanted to talk to the people there a lot, but my Spanish wasn’t the best yet, so I figured I’m not doing enough and that’s why people don’t like me,” Maria says. “But then they threw me a farewell party, which doesn’t usually happen for interns. That’s when I realised I was useful.”
For Lara, the turning point came when she was asked to host the project’s final event.
“I was faced with a huge responsibility, standing in front of important people on the project,” she remembers. “It showed me how much they trusted me and believed in me. It was something that I would never have believed I could do or be asked to do before this project began.”
Building Futures, Not Just CVs
Now, back in Portugal, both women are employed in roles that reflect the skills developed during the project. But for them, success is not just about job titles – it is about how they feel each day.
“I got a job thanks to the interview training, and what I do today is everything I learned during my time abroad,” Maria shares. “My main goal now is to get into nursing school. Thanks to ALMA, my life has changed for the better.”
Lara agrees. “I have a stable job now here in Portugal, and I see myself with a much larger support network because of the connections the project gave me on a personal and professional level,” she says. “I feel much better prepared for any future experiences.”
The team behind ALMA PT did not aim simply to place young people into jobs. Their mission went deeper: to restore confidence, nurture potential, and promote social inclusion.
“The project allowed us to make a difference in the lives of young people who have often given up on themselves and their dreams,” says Vanessa Mendes, the project coordinator at the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP) in Portugal.
“Each participant embarked on a transformative journey, developing new skills, discovering their strengths and overcoming challenges they thought they were not capable of,” she adds.
And the results speak for themselves. The majority of participants say they have developed important skills for their employability, but, more importantly, report growth in communication, independence, emotional resilience, and self-worth.
For Maria, Lara, and other participants, ALMA was more than a career-enhancing experience – it was a transformational journey, enabling a brighter future. And they cannot recommend it enough.
“It was scary, but it was worth taking the risk,” says Maria. “Living is all about taking risks because you never know whether it will work out or not. Today, I can say that every second of this experience was worth it, and I feel proud of myself.”
For Lara, it is about approaching life with open eyes and an open heart. “I have learnt that even if we’re afraid to challenge ourselves, we need these challenges to grow and improve,” she says.
It also helped her to realise what being part of the European Union truly means.
“The project made me realise how many opportunities there are in Europe,” she adds. “Living in Germany helped me learn to adapt to a new environment and understand that there will always be people who welcome and accept you, if you’re open to experiencing new cultures.”
Learn more: ALMA PT project
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