Young Azoreans with new volunteering programme in the Region - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Juventude, Habitação e Emprego

Young Azoreans interested in volunteering will have access to REDES - Regional Youth Volunteering Network, the new programme to support youth volunteering in the Azores, as announced today by the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment.

Maria João Carreiro spoke in Lajes do Pico, Pico Island, during the opening session of the "JUVENTUDE.AZORES – Get to know your DRJ!" guide. She explained that the regulations for this new programme are being finalised and will be published shortly in the Official Journal, with the application period expected to begin in June. 

Young people aged between 15 and 28, regardless of their level of education and professional situation, will be able to join a REDES project.

This programme includes two categories: one is "short-term," for projects lasting 1 to 5 days, such as renovating a house or collecting stray animals, among other social and community projects; and the other is"regular,"  for projects lasting 3 to 9 months that will be developed in institutions with permanent activity, such as nursing homes and disability support associations, among others that have as their main activities those provided for in volunteering.

In "short-term" projects, young people receive a grant ranging from 21 to 75 Euros, while in "regular" projects, the monthly grant can reach €180, for a total of €1,620, if the young person completes nine months of volunteering.

"With this new programme, we want to highlight the importance of volunteering for personal, social and community development, through the sharing of knowledge, practices, perspectives and interventions leading to the acquisition of skills that are crucial in the training of young people," explained the Regional Secretary.

With a view to the successful implementation of this programme, Maria João Carreiro called for the participation of entities, including IPSS (Private Social Solidarity Institutions), non-profit associations and others. According to her, they "are essential for the application of volunteering projects" in which young people will certainly want to be involved and contribute.

"While it is true that youth programmes cannot exist without young people, it is also true that entities, associations and organisations are essential in promoting these programmes for our young people," she stressed.

Based on this assumption, the "JUVENTUDE.AZORES" roadmap will include in its interactive sessions not only young people but also entities that can present and promote each of the more than 10 DRJ (Regional Directorate for Youth) programmes in areas such as youth associations, creativity and innovation, entrepreneurship, mobility, employment, training, and volunteering.

"Just as we want to extend information to young people and break down barriers to their participation in the programmes, we are aware that this information and awareness-raising work has to reach the organisations so that they can, in even greater numbers, propose and promote projects tailored to young people's interests and expectations," she said.

The opening session of the "JUVENTUDE.AZORES" programme, which made its debut at the Lajes do Pico Basic Education and Secondary School, was attended by, among other guests, the Deputy Mayor of Lajes do Pico, Manuel Pimentel; the Mayor of São Roque do Pico, Luís Filipe Silva; the Deputy Mayor of Madalena, Mário Silva; the President of the Board of the Lajes do Pico Basic Education and Secondary School, José Ferreira, and the Regional Director for Youth, Eládio Braga.