Carmo Albuquerque

Carmo Albuquerque

Portugal

With a degree in Culture and Communication and a Master’s in HRM and Organizational Consultancy, I believe it is safe to say that I am a people person.
My first peace-related experience was in August 2009. I was 11 and flew across the globe without my parents and with three other children I barely knew to be in a summer camp for peace for a month. I was in awe of the cultural diversity and happiness everyone shared.
For a month, people from 12 countries came together to promote peace, and it was a foundational experience for me.
Ten years after this adventure, I led a group of four children to share my experience and learnings to be in awe of the shared values, vision, and beliefs, still current and still being implemented.
Besides Summer Camps, I also participated in a volunteering experience that opened my eyes to poverty and social inequalities, where the main objective was to rehabilitate homes for people in need. I found myself sharing their struggles, helping them, and learning from them.
I was also really fortunate to be invited to volunteer for ModelUN in Lisbon for the Logistics Team. It was incredibly energizing and eye-opening to be around people my age from all different walks of life and corners of the world and still feel like we could be friends.
After my Degree, I joined Semear as a Volunteer. Semear rings close to home as it helps people with disabilities to develop attitudes, skills, and knowledge to integrate into the workforce.
I wrote my thesis on a potential Internal Communication Program for Semear. Thus, I have the knowledge to state that a lack of clear communication and positive reinforcement can originate many struggles and might have damaging consequences if not approached carefully in due time, one being the lack of a peaceful and harmonic environment.
I am still volunteering at Semear and wish to find more time to participate in relevant and worldly causes.