Portugal
participants
Old Friends Bingo is an activity that aims to join the international student community in Coimbra with one of the most vulnerable communities in the city, the elderly, through intercultural exchange, games and dancing.
During this activity, participants are invited to bring something from their home countries and to present some fun facts about their culture to the elderly at the Day Care Centre. ESN Coimbra's volunteers are tasked with translating whatever is necessary to translate, as most international students do not speak Portuguese, and the old friends often do not speak the students' native languages or English. After this presentation, students also play games with the old friends, sing songs and dance with them.
This activity raised awareness to the problem of loneliness in the elderly and taught the international students what they can do to help prevent and solve this problem. Furthermore, the local population at the Day Care Centre enjoyed an afternoon filled with plenty of learning and fun brought by the young students.