EDP challenges its volunteers to give fun classes about energy to young people and children.
Ever since its origin, and with intention to provide social development and sustainability, EDP has created and promoted several educational actions, getting the community where it’s inserted in. EDP’s Volunteering Program, created over a decade ago, had already held the launch of its first volunteering project, in 2005, along with JAP (Junior Achievement Portugal). This program has the main objective to show how we can connect positively with energy and with the future of energy. One of the actions, Energy Classes, consists of the volunteers going to schools and education sites to bring awareness to our students for the energy efficiency and climate changes. The objective is to teach how to use energy with balance and through the use of non-polluting sources.
To provide tools for the future energy efficiency - Energy Classes
The story on how you can change the future starts by training the students, in schools, in the management of energy efficiency and awareness to the climate changes. EDP’s Energy Campaign promotes different educational and training actions for environmental issues, including “Energy Classes”. These classes are prepared for kindergarten children up to the 9th grade and that can be in-person or online.
In 2023, between May and June, under the motto "Me atrevo a llevar energia a los colégios", EDP volunteers will take the "Energy Classes" to the schools of La Salle, Verdemar, San Ignacio, Rio Piles, the Severo Ochoa Institute and the Dominicas Oviedo School.
From the project’s origin to the transformation of the communities
Since 2011, in light of social inclusion, social development and transformation of the communities were EDP has a mark in, a task was set upon families, clients, friends, to participate in volunteering actions. Many were the participants and many the initiatives in Portugal and other countries. At this time, there are several countries (Canada, USA, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Poland, Greece, France), where the volunteering program is active.
In May, 2022, as usual, the Energy Campaign, one of the global actions led by EDP’s Volunteering, the promoted actions were adapted to the lingering pandemic context. It’s interesting and rewarding to determine that 350 volunteers participated and supported several causes. In 2021, when the 10th anniversary of EDP's Volunteering Program was held, 20.500 beneficiaries registered, from 76 NGO (non governmental organization) world wide. Specifically, Energy Classes were “lectured” to over 3.400 students of 130 classes in 49 schools throughout the country. At a time where the concern with the environment is urgent, the Energy Classes Project intends to enlight students about the use of energy for a more sustainable future. These classes about energy captivate students and encourage them to efficiently use energy from non-polluting sources.
The demand for sustainable cities
The young people of today are tomorrow’s adults. So, in light of this volunteering program we bring awareness towards the use of a clean and accessible energy and the creation of sustainable cities and communities.
According to the EDP's Volunteering Porgram, 10 years of transformation 2011-2021, the impact of this program is evident, for example:
- with the Volunteers, by the mobilization, commitment, greater active involvement;
- in EDP, through the transparent relation with several actors, of the associated reputation to social investment themes;
- in the Local Communities, by endowing the organizations, with children and young people, in the awareness actions, improvement of the facilities and conditions of energetic efficiency and urgency, in the involvement in biodiversity actions.
Having yet, as a basis the data from this Report, in these 10 years, 552 classes were “lectured”, with a financial investment of 75.360€, 408 participation of volunteers, 8.818 impacted people and 173 organizations were benefited.
Stories of Solidarity Energy
There are several testimonies from private people and companies about the adherence to the Volunteering Program that brought improvement in their lives and communities, namely in education/training and social integration. In the vídeo “Stories of Solidarity Energy”, Tiago Matos counts on the experience to develop actions about the energy in school communities. In these actions the Kit Energia is used, a set of practical activities that explore the subject of Energy in an interactive way and promote skills in this area.
And Carla Barros reveals how she channelled her energy into helping the younger ones during the pandemic. Along with the Education Ministry, she developed the “School with Energy” project that consisted on the donation of computers and in an awareness campaign for the donation of material (mouse, laptop, tablet…) for students that didn’t have a way to engage in online learning. She also established a partnership with Techers4covid, a group of volunteer teachers, that helped these students when it was necessary.
These are the stories with Great Energy. We certainly cannot stay indifferent to every testimony of the extraordinary self-denial stories, of giving oneself to others, of solidarity. Volunteering has an impact on who volunteers themselves and on those who take fruition of the same volunteering. It’s what moves us.
