What is "gastagus"

GASTagus, also known as Grupo de Ação Social do Tagus, is a Portuguese non-governmental development organization (NGDO).

GASTagus aims at empowering the youth to participate as active citizens through a series of volunteering activities both inside Portugal and abroad, as well as non-formal education activities. In Portugal the organization has partnerships with non-profit entities were GASTagus' volunteers develop their weekly activities. Abroad, GASTagus has partners located in different sites of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique and São Tomé and Princípe, where, during August, the volunteers are welcomed to develop their work and initiatives.

The establishment of GASTagus came from the inexistence of secular organizations which would prepare volunteers for short-term international projects (from 1 up to 3 months). Moreover, some of the founding principles are still valid nowadays in the formation process of the volunteers. Firstly, there is an established formation plan based on non-formal activities which enable the volunteers to think and reflect. Secondly, the necessity of conducting regular volunteering with Portuguese organizations throughout the year. And thirdly, all the expenses associated with the international projects must be entirely fundraised through a series of events organized by the volunteers, without the possibility of them covering their travel expenses.

GASTagus is headquartered in Instituto Superior Técnico - Campus of Taguspark were activities are also held in addition to its branches in ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, FCT - UNL (Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa), ISPA - Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada and Faculdade de Psicologia da Universidade de Lisboa.