Maria João Carreiro defends that “participatory democracy is not an abstract idea” - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Juventude, Habitação e Emprego

The Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment defended today on São Jorge Island that "participatory democracy is not an abstract idea" and that the democratic process "has much to gain from the participation of young people."

On this basis, the draft proposal for "DemocraciAZ - Regional Plan for Youth Literacy and Democratic Participation" will be submitted for approval to the Azores Government Council "very soon," stated Maria João Carreiro. This will be followed by a period of public consultation with citizens. 

The government official spoke at the opening session of the 3rd DemocraciAZ Seminar held at the Velas Municipal Auditorium. She explained that this Regional Plan is based on four areas of action and intervention: democratic literacy, electoral principles and systems, promotion of a participatory ecosystem and media education.

"It is imperative to raise awareness among young people about the importance of democratic participation and the fulfilment of a responsibility that belongs to all of us, showing them that they also have power outside the ballot box and beyond election periods," she defended.

Maria João Carreiro emphasised that "young people cannot regard politics as a distant activity," nor as an exercise that ends with voting, which is why “we need to open up politics to young citizens and bring politics into young people's lives.”

As she explained, "democracy does not thrive on viral content and social media influencers but rather on citizens who recognise in this political and social organisation system the possibility of being both promoters and beneficiaries of the rights and duties it entails."

According to the Secretary for Youth, the Azorean Government is working with a “spirit of commitment and willingness to engage in dialogue with young people” to “bring them closer to the democratic experience.” Since 2023, more than 2,600 young people have already participated in forums, meetings, gatherings and participatory activities.

At the 3rd "DemocraciAZ" Seminar, 100 young students from São Jorge schools had the opportunity to attend and reflect on the presentation by Jorge Botelho Moniz, associate researcher at IPRI-NOVA and CIPES-Lusófona, addressing the theme of "Representative Democracy and the need to be the voice of citizens."

This was followed by a round table discussion on "The individual responsibility of being the voice of a collective: the importance of youth and community representation,” featuring João Machado, Member of the Board of the National Youth Council; Tiago Félix, Member of the Velas Municipal Youth Council; Leoter Viegas, President of the Board of AIPA; and Jaime Vieira, President of the Student Association of Velas Basic Education and Secondary School.

Eládio Braga, Regional Director for Youth, moderated the debate.

The session also featured performances by local musicians, namely Diogo “NTK” Teixeira.

Among others, the seminar was attended by the Mayor of Velas, Luís Silveira, the members of the Regional Legislative Assembly, Paulo Silveira and Maria Isabel Teixeira, the Vice-President of the School Board of Velas Basic Education and Secondary School, Salomé Nico, and the President of theSchool Board of São Jorge Vocational School, Dário Fonseca.