Follow our new series of interviews with influential Forum leaders and IVCO delegates.
This week we met with Sónia Fernandes, Presidente Executiva of Pista Mágica in Portugal.
Sónia and her team are new to Forum and IVCO, but already they are making an impact to this global leadership, sharing experiences, solutions and perspectives on what it means to be a volunteer in Portugal.
Tell us a little about Pista Mágica and your role as its Presidente Executiva?
Pista Mágica is a NGO that was founded in 2008 as a Volunteering School, a Portuguese social innovative organisation.
At Pista Mágica our mission is to make volunteering accessible and useful to everyone through ethical practice and innovative solutions. We make that possible through capacity building and consultancy to all volunteer agents (volunteers, NGO’s, enterprises, educational entities, governmental organisations); volunteer program management and social inclusion through volunteering.
I am the founder and executive president of Pista Mágica. In this role I am responsible for the organisation’s strategic planning and implementation; helping in project design, monitoring and evaluation; public relations and advocacy; representing Pista Mágica within the National, European and International organisations of which we are members; and, among many other things, problem solving.
Do you think the practice of volunteering has changed in Portugal over the past 10 years? In what way?
Yes, I do. I believe there are two major positive changes:
- volunteers and volunteering organisations are better prepared, much of this improvement is due the impact of our work;
- volunteering umbrella organisations, the government body that creates the public policies for volunteering, and key leading organisations in volunteering are all working together to enhance the volunteer landscape in our country. Some examples of that are the taskforce to suggest a new law in volunteering (already being analysed at the Parliament); a national diagnosis in volunteering is currently underway to create the first national strategy for volunteering; and coordinated national events and awards.
What attracted you to work with a volunteering-in-development-focused organisation?
My experience as a volunteer in development working with NGOs and the United Nations really ignited my passion for skilled volunteering because of the deep and lasting impact it makes to people and communities.
Currently, what are the most significant challenges volunteer organisations face globally?
Quite simply it’s the shrinking space for the humanitarian sector to act, we see many examples of this globally. Also, the hate speech.
If you could say anything to world leaders about the value of volunteering and its role in strengthening civil society, what would it be?
In Pista Mágica we have a utopian ambition: that the one billion volunteers who contribute their time an expertise globally receive the best preparation and support. Only imagine how the world would be if we achieved that! Certainly a better place, less vulnerable and more just.
We know we can’t do that now, but we can work steadily to get there. I would ask the world leaders what they would be willing to do to help us get there.
Pista Mágica has only recently joined Forum and IVCO, how has this new global association enriched your organisation?
This network has a range of organisations that make a huge contribution to volunteering in development. Their knowledge is absolute gold and their representatives are key actors in sharing their experience.
It is also important the access to new studies, methodologies and data – all this helps ensure a world of impactful and sustainable volunteering in development outcomes.
Early bird registration for 2025 is now available for your chance to attend this thought-leading conference for international volunteering, where you will not only build supportive peer networks, but also help shape sectoral policy and advocacy initiatives in the volunteering-in-development sector.
For any questions please email: ivco@forum-ids.org
