ExchangeAbility

 

The “Christmas with Portuguese Retailers” project was born due to amix of not being able to implement the “Christmas with Portuguese Families” project in 2020 and the will to create another initiative that could help the community during the holidays. Considering how badly Portuguese retailers suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the idea to use our platforms to advocate “buying local” came to life!

Therefore, “Christmas with Portuguese Retailers” is a national project of Erasmus Student Network Portugal that celebrates and promotes small and medium business retailers in Portugal through local and international students, volunteers and the local community. By “buying local” during the holidays we are supporting local businesses in creating jobs and are directly investing in our communities both socially and economically.

 

AIM

The aim of this project is to promote local Portuguese retailers, especially the ones based in cities where we have local ESN sections, and present an alternative way to conduct Christmas shopping, where not only international students but also Portuguese locals are encouraged to opt for small retailers instead of big corporations.

Not only does buying local help our local Portuguese communities, but it is also kinder to the planet. Products bought online or in-store from larger corporations are cheap, but the shipping, packaging, and carbon dioxide emissions are costly in the long run to our health and our environment.

Very often, when you shop small, what you buy is unique! There’s something very special when you give a thoughtful gift that’s also one of a kind or has a story behind it.

 

OBJECTIVES

Promote local retailers that celebrate typical Portuguese culture and products!

Advocate to buy local during the holidays!

Introduce international students and locals to an alternative way to conduct Christmas shopping!

 

HOW CAN I BE INVOLVED?

Commercial Retailers

This project consists of promoting various local Portuguese businesses on our social media and making our followers aware of the real benefit of contributing to their growth. The content will be shared not only on the social media of the Erasmus Student Network Portugal Federation but also by our 13 local sections (ESN Algarve, ESN Almada, ESN Aveiro, ESN Castelo Branco, ESN Coimbra, ESN Covilhã, ESN Évora, ESN Lisboa, ESN Madeira, ESN Minho, ESN Porto, ESN Tomar, ESN UTAD)! 

In addition, our local sections are open to collaborate with the retailers in organising physical events to promote the business to their international students and local community! 

We are looking for local Portuguese businesses that are willing to offer a minimum 10% discount on their products, during the 1st of November to the 25th of December, to ESNcard holders. Preferably the business must be based in the cities where we have local ESN sections (mentioned above).

If you are interested in participating in this project as a commercial retailer please reach out to board@esnportugal.org or secretary@esnportugal.org.

 

International Students & Local Community

Within the spirit of giving back to the local community, we would like to encourage international students and locals to purchase their Christmas gifts or souvenirs for their families at local and traditional businesses, through a national social media campaign and local physical events.

If you would like to support this project please do your Christmas shopping at one of the retailers listed below in our “2024 Retailers List” and do not forget to bring your ESNcard!

Do not forget to check out our local sections’ social media to see what each city has to offer in terms of discounts!

 

 

CONTACTS

If you require any further information or have any specific questions, please do not hesitate to contact us directly at board@esnportugal.org or secretary@esnportugal.org. 

Help us make this project even better this year!