Skip to content
PT
About
PartnershipsNewsContacts
PT

Stay connected

Receive CHECK-IN news

Occasional updates from our projects, community and international opportunities.

A youth organisation based in Portugal, focused on local development and international cooperation through non-formal education.

Quick links

  • About
  • Partnerships
  • Members
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Multimedia
  • Newsletter archive

Follow us

Legal and transparency

  • All legal documents
  • Privacy
  • Cookies and storage
  • Legal notice
  • Safeguarding and PSEAH
  • Association statutes
  • Local groups regulation

© 2026 CHECK-IN — All rights reserved.

Associação Check-IN – Cooperação e Desenvolvimento · Portuguese legal person 509392733

CHECK-IN Association

About CHECK-IN

Check-IN – Cooperation and Development is a nonprofit organization that believes in the power of learning, participation, and cooperation to create opportunities and transform communities. We work primarily with young people, adults, organizations, and professionals in the youth sector, promoting non-formal education, international mobility, volunteering, active participation, social inclusion, sustainability, and skills development. Based in Beja and Lisbon, we carry out local, national, and international initiatives, building bridges between people, organizations, and communities.

Young people at an international CHECK-IN activity

Who we are

Our story

01

Check-IN was founded in 2010 with the goal of creating new opportunities for learning and participation through national and international cooperation. Since then, we have built an extensive network of partners and developed projects in Portugal, Europe, and other regions of the world, including countries such as Brazil, Tanzania, Nepal, Argentina, Mexico, and Peru.

02

Over the years, we have grown alongside the people and communities we work with. From youth exchanges to training courses, from volunteer work to cooperation projects, from local initiatives to European projects, we remain true to the same core principle: creating experiences that foster learning, participation, and impact.

03

Today, Check-IN works directly with programs such as Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, holding Erasmus+ Youth accreditation for 2021–2027 and developing a broad network of cooperation with associations, municipalities, universities, schools, foundations, and other institutions.

450
Projects completed
25
Countries involved
5250
Participants involved
2010
Active since

What drives us

A mission with impact

Our mission is INspiring YOUTH: to inspire young people to discover their potential, turn ideas into action, and actively participate in building their communities and a more inclusive, supportive, and sustainable society. We create opportunities to learn, experiment, participate, travel, collaborate, and grow, using non-formal education and intercultural learning as tools for personal and professional development. We aim to reach, in particular, those with limited access to opportunities, by breaking down geographic, social, and economic barriers and making participation and mobility more accessible. INspiring YOUTH is more than just a motto: it’s how we understand our work.

Our values

  • Participation - We encourage people to have a voice, take initiative, and play an active role in their communities.
  • Inclusion - We create accessible opportunities and value the diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and realities.
  • Cooperation - We believe that impact grows when people, organizations, and communities work together.
  • Learning - We promote lifelong learning through experience, non-formal education, and knowledge sharing.
  • Interculturality - We bring cultures together by promoting dialogue, understanding, and respect for differences.
  • Sustainability - We promote greater environmental awareness and forms of development that are responsible toward people and the planet.
  • Innovation - We experiment with new methodologies, tools, and ways to address the challenges faced by people and communities.
  • Impact - We work to ensure that each project leaves behind lessons, skills, and changes that endure beyond its duration.

Our people

Our team

Meet the people behind CHECK-IN's work.

Team

Texto

António Gomes

Director

Founder, with a Master’s Degree in Management and Entrepreneurship and 25 years of experience in youth mobility. He is a project manager, international trainer and specialist in non-formal education. He is currently a member of the Pool of Trainers of the Portuguese Erasmus+ Youth/European Solidarity Corps National Agency and a Eurodesk Multiplier. Expertise: European project management and design, volunteering, facilitation, gamification, learning and team building.

Joana Galvão

Joana Galvão

Project Manager

President, with a Degree in Modern Languages and Literatures and a Postgraduate Degree in Youth Studies. She has been working in the youth field since 2000, with experience in both NGOs and the public sector. She coordinates the Youth Department of the Municipality of Torres Vedras and has extensive experience in Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps projects. Expertise: project management, non-formal education, youth participation, gender equality and interculturality.

TEXTO

Nicola Ferretti

Project Manager

Vice-President, with a Master’s Degree in Economics and Management and a Master’s Degree in Quality Management in Tourism. Since 2011, he has worked in the field of youth mobility as a project manager and international trainer, with extensive experience in multicultural contexts. He specialises in non-formal education and participatory methodologies. Expertise: project management, facilitation, sustainability, creativity, social media, non-formal education and decision-making processes.

Ricardo Cataluna

Ricardo Cataluna

Project Manager

Holds a Master’s Degree in E-Learning Systems Management and a Degree in Languages, Literatures and Cultures. He is a European project manager with experience in training and communication, as well as in developing national and international initiatives. Expertise: digital communication, e-learning, social media, content creation, European affairs and event organisation, with extensive international experience.

Bruna Cunha

Bruna Cunha

Project Manager

Holds a Degree in Design, Image and Visual Communication, with experience in content creation, digital communication, social media, training and team management. She has worked in multicultural environments in the United Kingdom and participated in an Erasmus+ project in Estonia. Expertise: content creation, digital communication, social media, event organisation, Photoshop and Premiere Pro.

Marta Filipa

Marta Filipa

Volunteer ESC

Specialised training in tourism and professional experience in hospitality, customer service and reservation management. She has international experience and a strong multicultural profile, communicating in Portuguese, German, English, French and Spanish. She stands out for her organisational and communication skills, responsibility and ability to work with diverse audiences.

Join us

Members

Join the CHECK-IN community and stay close to our projects and initiatives.

Explore membershipBecome a member

Let’s talk

Talk to us

We are available to answer questions, build partnerships and welcome new ideas.

Contact us
info@checkin.org.pt+351 928 356 880Casa das Associações, Rua Professor Janeiro Acabado s/n, 7800-506, Beja