June, TRUST Volunteering Month
In 2026, we were challenged to develop the social skills of Trust's employees, particularly empathy, through volunteering. This challenge reinforces the importance of looking at the community not only as the recipient of our action, but also as a space for learning, growth and personal development.
With this in mind, in May a large group of employees took part in a training session run by Pista Mágica, the only volunteering school in Portugal, dedicated to building the capacity for a more conscious, responsible and transformative volunteering practice.
In June we launched TRUST Volunteering Month: a month of and for the community, designed to involve employees in different experiences of connection, service and civic participation alongside a range of institutions and groups.
Among the initiatives carried out, particular highlights include hospital visits with assistance dogs, in partnership with the Associação Ânimas; taking part in a football match with people with intellectual disabilities, as part of FC Foz's "We All Play!" League; helping with the meal service for people experiencing homelessness with CASA Porto; and restoring the fence of a riding arena at an equestrian centre, at the Pony Club.
The programme also included a financial literacy workshop for older people, in partnership with the Associação Reformers; a blood donation drive with the IPST; the running of Story Time at the nursery of the Centro Social do Amial; and a digital literacy workshop for older people, in collaboration with the Lordelo do Ouro and Massarelos Parish Council.
We also welcomed two summer interns from APPACDM do Porto and six summer interns from the Associação Stand4Good, placed within different teams across the company, reinforcing our commitment to inclusion and to creating opportunities for all.
The TRUST Volunteering Month initiative continues in July with new activities already planned: a workshop on the job market aimed at people in a vulnerable situation of rehabilitation, a session sharing good practice in basic healthcare at a nursery, support for the meal service at a residential care home for older people, and a new date for a group blood donation.
To mark the close of this month, a visit will be made to the City Hall of Porto City Council, where the contribution of each volunteer involved in these activities will be recognised and the time, dedication and availability of all participants acknowledged.
All the activities carried out can be repeated. Any employee who did not have the opportunity to take part, but is interested in trying one of these initiatives, can therefore contact the TRUST Volunteering Unit. We leave you with a challenge: after the summer holidays, what if we took a further step and became regular volunteers, visiting an institution once a month? We're counting on you!