After finishing her studies in Social Sciences and Educational Sciences, Joana went on to enter the workforce which as for most young graduates today proved to be a challenge. Soon enough she realized that what was missing from her CV was more work experience and that’s when she decided to join a program from the Service National de la Jeunesse to find open volunteer positions. One of the organizations that stood out to her was SINGA Luxembourg, a non-profit organisation, part of an international network, established in the country of Luxembourg in 2019 and aiming to connect people and facilitate inclusion.
This September marks the fourth month that Joana will be a part of this organisation and she’s more than excited to talk to me about her experiences and work with them. “SINGA means “to connect” in Lingala, “one of the languages spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo” she says smiling at me. “SINGA is now an ecosystem which already operates in 7 countries and 18 cities and has been created in France in 2012.”
She showed me some of their online material, where I can learn about their missions and activities. Already I’m impressed and amazed at their work and passion, but one section, their glossary, stands out more to me than any other. “We don’t use the terms refugees or immigrants since they tend to be negatively connotated. We prefer the terms “newcomer”, “local people” and “members of the community”.
Out of sheer curiosity, I asked her “But what is SINGA Luxembourg doing to connect people and help individuals in Luxembourg?”.
“We actually have three types of projects. One of them is “Mentoring”, which is held through the OneStepForward program with our partners BGL BNP Paribas and the University of Luxembourg. One of our main goals here at SINGA is to provide support to students to bridge the gap between education and entering the workforce.
The second one is Employability “where every month CV and Motivation letter workshops are being held, to help newcomers in Luxembourg integrate and find a job. Often, people with such diverse backgrounds are used to doing these processes differently and SINGA provides them with more information on how to apply more successfully for jobs in Luxembourg.”
“The third one is “Community building”, which includes all the activities that we organize and have a more cultural or social aspect. One of them is based on the concept of the human library, where we split into two groups: the active listeners and the ones who share their stories. We also organize sports events like the SINGA Cup or promenades in nature and visits to museums.”
It sounds lovely to me, and I quickly ask her about her role in all of this. I wonder how it helped her expand her knowledge and experiences and how it can translate into her future career growth. “I can say that I am much more confident in my communication skills ever since I started working with SINGA Luxembourg. I interact with multiple people every day, both within and out of the office, so I feel much more secure in handling any situation in a future professional environment. I have also gained valuable experience by creating the organization’s newsletter and helping with administrative tasks.”
And so how can any of us support SINGA’s work in Luxembourg?
This can be done in several ways! You can either donate through their website or come up with an idea for a future activity. Do you have a talent or a hobby that you’re eager to share with other people? Then you can reach out to them and organize an activity together. Or you can simply participate in one of their events as a newcomer or a local person and get to meet new people.
Find SINGA Luxembourg here
Website: https://www.singaluxembourg.lu/
Instagram: @singa_luxembourg
LinkedIn: SINGA Luxembourg
Facebook: SINGA Luxembourg
Roux Magazine is made by students at the University of Luxembourg. We love their work, so we decided to team up with them and bring some of their articles to our audience as well. You can find all of their issues on Issuu.
