Applications open for REDES – Regional Youth Volunteering Network - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Juventude, Habitação e Emprego

Applications are now open for the new REDES programme – Regional Youth Volunteering Network, created and implemented by the Regional Secretariat for Youth, Housing and Employment, through the Regional Directorate for Youth. 

Applications are open on the Azores Youth portal, available at juventude.azores.gov.pt.

Young people aged between 15 and 28 can apply for a volunteer project under REDES, regardless of their level of education or professional status.

This programme includes two options: a ‘‘short-term’ option, for projects lasting between one and five days, such as renovating a house or collecting stray animals, among other social and community projects; and a ‘‘regular" option for projects lasting between three and nine months in institutions with permanent activities, such as nursing homes or disability support associations, among others whose activities fall within the scope of 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 a view to the successful implementation of this programme, the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment calls on entities such as Private Social Solidarity Institutions (IPSS), non-profit associations and others to submit volunteer projects through which young people can participate and make their contribution.

"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," noted Maria João Carreiro at the presentation of REDES last June in Lajes do Pico. 

According to the government official, “with this new programme, the Azorean Government wants 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.”