Mariana Brilhante
Just 30 kilometers on the west from the marvelous capital of Portugal – Lisbon there is a small town called Cascais. It used to be a fishermen village and also a place where Kings and Queens chose to spend their summers. Full of restaurants, bars, nice walks by the sea and of course – the best view of Atlantic ocean’s sunset. As almost all the other cities in Portugal, Cascais has it’s own number of migrants living there. I could easily say from my experience – it’s hard not to come back to Cascais again and again. And someday I’m sure – I will live there in a small house near the ocean.
SPEAK started in Cascais at the beginning of 2015. In the words of some teachers of Cascais “Personally, we love teaching in Cascais! It is our home and we truly feel like ‘Cascalenses’ (people who were born and live in Cascais). We have been SHARING OUR WORLD in Cascais since 2015 and we feel very proud of the city. We feel they truly believe in making a difference and are not afraid to support innovative projects like SPEAK.
Cascais is one of the municipalities with the highest number of immigrants and therefore so important for SPEAK to be there. We have worked with many partners inside the city-hall and had the opportunity to meet amazing people.
Also, it is always a joy to have the courses at IES – Social Business School, our other partners in Cascais. They have their offices in an amazing former elementary school, that is now home to the top organization of Social Innovation in Portugal, where we have learned a lot about Social Entrepreneurship, being there makes us feel like we are at home!
SPEAK events have done magic here as well. Small meetings in local bars, enjoying the view and the nice weather have made a great community in Cascais. For a few months we were happy to count with Mel, who was an amazing ambassador, in just a few months she helped to grow the community and create the feeling that SPEAK Cascais is one big family. She has now moved to Paris and we wish her best of luck!
Are you now feeling curious about SPEAK in Cascais?
You are welcomed to join for the events and language and cultural courses. Sign up at www.speak.social
My name is Tatiana . I’m 14 years old and I just came to Portugal. I’l stay here with my father and I want to learn Portuguese. I live in Cascais. How can I join the lessons?
Hi Tatiana,
SPEAK is not in cascais at the moment and the minimum age to sign up for a course is 16 years old. I am positive you can find other options. You can maybe try Meetup to see language exchange groups. All the best,
Mariana