A few weeks ago I rediscovered a project, ayudame3D, and an exceptional social entrepreneur, Guillermo Martínez Gauna-Vivas. I say ‘rediscovered’ because, after a bit of ‘research’, I realised that he ‘sounded familiar’, as he was one of the winners of the Princess of Girona Foundation‘s 2020 Princess of Girona Social Award. Today I would like to introduce him to you, because what he does contributes to improving the world and, above all, to changing the lives of vulnerable people.
Tag: Volunteers
HELP, WE NEED SOMEBODY
A few weeks ago, I was contacted by the Parents’ Association (APYMA) of the Jesuitinas Bilbao school.
It’s a good thing that people are connectors! Let me explain. Thanks to a colleague from the University of Deusto and a educational action carried out by other colleagues and myself from the same university with the Jesuitinas Bilbao school, today I am telling you about this project.
FLL Junior: Boosting the energy
Last 8th of February, the University of Deusto was transformed for a few hours to host an event that, after 10 years, was held for the first time in three different headquarters: Bilbao, Mondragón and San Sebastián. I’m talking about the FLL Euskadi, which I’ve already talked about more than once. This time, for some people, this edition has been very special. For me, apart from being a pleasure, it has also been a challenge that has boosted my energy and has made me trust much more in our new entrepreneurs generations, who have fresh ideas. (more…)
FIRST LEGO League Euskadi: 10 years of constant evolution
Today I move this week’s post forward to talk, once again (and it won’t be the last one), about the new qualifying tournament of the FIRST LEGO League Euskadi 2018/2019. On the 16th of February many people will meet again at the Europa Palace (Vitoria-Gasteiz), at least 1200 (and that’s only the first ones), to celebrate an event that students between the ages of 6 and 16 from more than 40 schools in Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa and Álava have been preparing since last September. Nerves, desire, illusion, entertainment, fellowship and excitement are present more than ever in a day where the protagonists are the students who show that a challenge is just that, a challenge that we have to face. They make that very clear in their presentations, both of the scientific project and the values as well as during the missions carried out with the robot they have programmed with dedication during months.
It’s an event that the Basque agency of innovation Innobasque-Agencia Vasca de Innovación has been organizing for 10 years; yes, you’ve read that right, 10 are the years we’ve been celebrating this event in which many anonymous people trust. A real achievement for a training program for children and young people from Euskadi who every year show us that the future can be in very good hands.
I encourage you again to take part in the tournament, which in part is carried out by the more than 200 volunteers who mobilize so the event can be a success. To sign up you just have to enter the following link. You are still in time to participate.
Enter the following link; I encourage you to investigate the canvas that will open through the links.
Keep enjoying this incredible experience based on challenges where, thanks to the group learning, children and young people learn essential values for their personal and professional development.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We’ll go on for 10 more years or for as long as it’s needed.
I am an #flleuskadi volunteer.
Enjoy the day. By the way, will we see each other on Saturday?
Translated by María Ubierna Quintanilla and supervised by Arantza Arruti.
THANK YOU for you WOP?Yes
Today I want to write an appreciation post.Hoy quiero escribir un post de agradecimiento.
I want to thank Mikel and Mentxu, real social entrepreneurs, for letting me be a part of your family and, specially, of WOP, whose work I’ve been supporting for a few years, and attitude (Mikel’s and Mentxu’s) I envy many days of the year. So, THANK YOU.
Thanks to Ruth too, for making things easier for me with the more than 200 volunteers we had to coordinate on the 6th Estropatada of WOP. Because for those who don’t know, we were more than 200 people who made possible that the estropatada went that well. And that’s thanks to some heads and hands that moved everything from the beginning so that the 17th of June of 2018 everything went how it was supposed to, even though things can always be improved. So, together with Ruth, THANK YOU to the volunteers too for making things easier in a very hot and busy day.
Because, throwing 30.000 WOPatos (ducks) to the estuary of Bilbao to raise funds to research about rare neurodegenerative diseases it’s not an easy task, even though some may think like that. You have to know that the ducks thrown from the Deusto Bridge ARE NOT left on the estuary once the race is over; the chips they have aren’t put by themselves (nor do they remove them once the race is over); they don’t arrive to the finish line by themselves because some of them don’t see very well and need guiding in their way to the finish line; the tables aren’t set and removed by themselves, the hamburgers, sausages, drinks, pintxos and more aren’t prepared alone; kid’s faces aren’t painted alone; the songs aren’t sung alone, the dances aren’t directed alone and the event isn’t managed, presented and directed alone; the sandwiches of the volunteers aren’t made alone; the merchandising stands aren’t prepared alone; and there are many NOs that have become a YES due to the good work, the good attitude, the willingness and the good mood there is on an event like the estropatada.
Therefore, as I’ve been doing for the last couple of years, this year I also challenged myself to sell 250 WOPatos, not for the WOPatón, which I already have a few (and I’ve gifted others), but for the pride of knowing that my effort, even if it’s small, contributes to the research about a cause that I support strongly, and which is not researched enough.
I can’t end this post without THANKING many people who have contributed to the research buying each of those 250 ducks. The truth is that I’m more than proud to see, another year, how generous are the people around me, the vast majority colleagues of the University of Deusto, but also personal friends and colleagues from other institutions. It’s a pleasure to know that you’re there, collaborating with the cause and it’s even better to know that you’re almost waiting for the ducks, even though you already have a few, because it’s not about them, right?
THANK YOU, specially, for not saying the well-worn sentence for some people: “another duck? I already have one from last year”.
Enjoy these sunny and warm days, we don’t know how much they’re going to last.
Translated by María Ubierna Quintanilla and supervised by Arantza Arruti.