SOcial Migrant Support

31/08/2026

A residence issue, a letter you don’t understand, a process that seems to be going nowhere or simply too much conflicting information.

Sometimes the first step is not another form. It is understanding what is actually happening, what your options are and what you can do next.

As a social worker, my role is to support you through the process, help you understand your rights and responsibilities, and give you the tools to navigate the system with more confidence and autonomy.

Sometimes you need someone to do it for you. But most of the time, you just need someone to help you understand.

Because knowing where you stand is also part of integration and of feeling grounded in the place you now call home.

If this sounds familiar , or you know someone who might need support , feel free to contact me or share this message.

SOcial Migrant Support

20/08/2026

SOcial is changing its name.

SOcial Expats Support is now SOcial Migrant Support.

When this project began, "expat" meant for me someone who had left their home country to live or explore elsewhere — someone living, in a way, between two worlds. That was the essence I wanted to name.

Over time, the word picked up connotations that have nothing to do with the essence of this project. SOcial doesn't distinguish between countries of origin, passports, skin colour or income. The circumstances and reasons behind migration can be very different, but something unites us all: the vulnerability of starting over in a place that doesn't feel like home yet, and the humanity we all share.

SOcial supports migrants in Portugal, with different backgrounds, circumstances and stories. That doesn't change. What changes is the name, so it better represents who we already are.

The work stays the same: offering clarity, professional guidance and human support to help people understand the systems, know and exercise their rights, and build greater autonomy.

And I still believe in something bigger than paperwork: creating spaces for cultures to meet. Listening, sharing and recognising one another. Building bridges between people who migrate and the communities already here.

Because integration isn't just about adapting to a new place. It's also about building, together, a community where different ways of living can coexist and enrich one another.

New name. Same commitment

19/08/2026

We’re back! 🇵🇹🌿

After the summer break, Talk Tuga returns this Thursday — with fresh energy, new ideas and a few surprises along the way.

Because learning the local language has a side we don't talk about enough.

It’s not only about vocabulary or grammar.

It’s the insecurity of not being able to express yourself as you really are. The frustration of staying quiet when you have something to say. The feeling of disconnection when conversations happen around you. Sometimes, even the strange experience of feeling like a smaller version of yourself in another language.

And that’s exactly why we practise.

Not to speak perfect Portuguese, but to find our voice in it. To gain confidence, connect with people and participate more fully in the place we call home.

Talk Tuga is back. Come and speak, make mistakes, laugh and reconnect.

📍 Junta de Freguesia de Marmelete
🗓️ Thursday
🕐 13:30–15:00

You probably know more Portuguese than you think. 😉

17/08/2026

06/07/2026

Over the past year, through the SOcial project, I have had the opportunity to support international residents living in Marmelete and the surrounding area.

This experience has allowed me to better understand some of the opportunities and challenges that accompany starting a new life in a different country.

Throughout this journey, it became clear that many people genuinely want to integrate and are thoughtful about the impact they have on the communities where they choose to live.

They want to understand the country where they live, communicate more easily, participate in local life and feel more connected to the place they now call home. The greatest challenges are often not a lack of willingness, but rather understanding the language, navigating institutions and adapting to a different social and cultural context.

This is the vision behind SOcial.

Through individual guidance, practical information and Portuguese language activities, the project seeks to support autonomy, encourage participation and help people better understand the society in which they live.

SOcial is currently incubated at the Monchique Business Incubator and has been developing part of its activities in Marmelete through the multimedia space made available by the Parish Council.

The project would like to thank the Marmelete Parish Council and the Monchique Business Incubator for their support throughout this first year.

26/06/2026

Ontem acompanhei uma discussão num grupo sobre habitação, impostos, migração e arrendamento de longa duração

Em poucas horas surgiram dezenas de comentários. Pessoas com experiências muito diferentes, opiniões muito distintas e, acima de tudo, muita emoção.

Fez-me pensar na falta que fazem espaços para conversar sobre estes temas.

Não para procurar culpados. Não para dividir entre "os de cá" e "os de fora". Nem para justificar comportamentos que prejudicam a comunidade, mas para refletirmos em conjunto e alargarmos a nossa perspetiva.

Enquanto assistente social, interessa-me cada vez mais olhar não apenas para a responsabilidade individual, mas também para os sistemas que moldam as nossas decisões.

Vivemos num contexto em que, demasiadas vezes, a liberdade económica se sobrepõe a direitos fundamentais, como o acesso a uma habitação digna e acessível. A responsabilidade individual existe, naturalmente. Mas também existe um contexto que incentiva determinados comportamentos e dificulta outros.

Não acredito em generalizações. Ao longo do meu trabalho conheci pessoas de muitas nacionalidades profundamente comprometidas com as comunidades onde vivem e outras que não o estão.

Acredito, isso sim, em criar condições para que as pessoas compreendam o lugar onde vivem, reconheçam o impacto das suas escolhas, participem na vida local e construam relações de confiança.

Para mim, o maior problema é a desconexão: viver num lugar sem verdadeiramente fazer parte dele. O contrário da integração não é vir de outro país; é a ausência de presença, de ligação e de responsabilidade partilhada.

Talvez tudo comece quando deixamos de perguntar quem é o culpado e começamos a perguntar como queremos viver juntos e que tipo de comunidade queremos construir.

26/06/2026

Yesterday I followed a discussion in a group about housing, taxes, migration and long-term rentals

Within a few hours, there were dozens of comments: people with very different experiences, very different opinions and, above all, a lot of emotion.

It made me think about how much we need more spaces to have these conversations.

Not to look for someone to blame. Not to divide people into "locals" and "foreigners". And not to justify behaviours that harm the community, but to reflect together and broaden our awareness.

As a social worker, I'm increasingly interested in looking not only at individual responsibility, but also at the systems that shape our decisions.

We live in a context where, far too often, economic freedom takes precedence over human rights, such as the right to affordable housing. Individual responsibility certainly exists. But so does the context that encourages some behaviours and discourages others.

I don't believe in generalisations. I've met people from many different nationalities who are deeply committed to the communities they live in, and others who are not.

I do believe in creating the conditions for people to understand the place they live in, recognise the impact of their choices, participate in local life and build relationships based on trust.

For me, the biggest problem is disconnection: living in a place without truly feeling part of it. The opposite of integration isn't coming from another country; it's the absence of presence, connection and shared responsibility.

Maybe it all starts when we stop asking who is to blame and start asking ourselves how we want to live together, and what kind of community we are building