INESC TEC organises the first Hiking
“INESC TEC on foot” was the name given to the first hiking organised by INESC TEC, which took place on 5 May, gathering about 60 members from different locations of INESC TEC representing several centres and services. This annual activity with nature as setting, which aims to promote a healthy interaction between collaborators, “was the first of many” according to the organisation.
Interaction between colleagues was a unanimous benefit
“I enjoyed the INESC TEC on foot activity because it was amazing! Congratulations to all participants! Together we were able to promote an excellent leisure and interaction time between collaborators of INESC TEC’s centres and services, plus the view was incredible”. This is how Paula Rodrigues, collaborator of High-Assurance Software Laboratory (HASLab) described this unique Saturday.
Eric Zangui from the Centre for Power and Energy Systems (CPES) and native of Brazil believes that with this idea, INESC TEC “promotes the healthy activities, the inclusion between partners that are not usually together on a daily basis and also provides the opportunity to get to know the beautiful Portugal”. João Costa also from CPES liked this activity because “it was possible to enjoy a unique day to activate the mind and body in such a dazzling scenario, besides creating closer ties with the colleagues”. Mónica Gomes from the Communication Service (SCOM) also enjoyed this activity “because it was an opportunity to interact having nature as a background”.
Rúben Moreira from the Management Information Systems Service (SGI) points out that the hiking “encouraged the interaction between different collaborators and gave people the opportunity to meet new places and environments”. In the same way that it allowed Rita Cardoso from Human Resources (HR) to “get in touch with colleagues in a context different than usual”.
Basically, “it was an healthy activity on a beautiful place, where people had the chance to interact in a more authentic way, free from their positions and duties” says Graça Barbosa, responsible for the Legal Support (AJ).
A destination known as the Portuguese Tibete
The first hiking journey took place at Sistelo and Tangil parish, county of Arcos de Valdevez and Monção respectively, in a distance of about 8km (6 miles), mostly on the terraces of Sistelo. The second journey of approximately 6km (3,7 miles) was made through the Sistelo wooden footbridges that are present in the Ecovia do Vez , which extends along the rivers Lima and Vez, for a total length of 32.5 km.
In Peneda-Gerês National Park, the village of Sistelo is part of the World Biosphere Reserve and is currently a UNESCO World Heritage candidate. The cultural landscape of the village was recently classified as a national monument, being the first time in Portugal that this recognition was given to a landscape, since it usually refers to buildings only.
On the other hand, Tangil is on the extreme south-east of the county of Monção, in Vale do Mouro, and is one of the most fertile parishes of the county due to the abundance of water coming from the river Mouro and its streams and to the natural soil fertility.
Voluntary organisation with future
The group of collaborators, with hiking experience, that voluntarily organised with SCOM this initiative counted on João Moreira (LIAAD), José Carlos Sousa (SIG), João Ramos (CPES), Héber Sobreira (CRIIS), Hélder Oliveira (CTM), João Vinagre (LIAAD) and Paula Rodrigues and Catarina Leones Fernandes (HASLab).
Given the success of the activity, and according to the elements that were part of the organizing team, the idea of organising more hiking is set, "in places always different and with more challenging journeys.”
The researchers mentioned in this news piece are associated with INESC TEC.
