Azorean Government brings “Entrepreneurial Academy – Unlock Your Potential” programme to young inmates - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Juventude, Habitação e Emprego

The Government of the Azores, the Ministry of Justice and the Azores Training Centre, IPRA, signed a cooperation agreement on Tuesday on the island of Terceira for the implementation of the “Entrepreneurial Academy – Unlock Your Potential” programme at the Ponta Delgada and Angra do Heroísmo correctional facilities.

The signing ceremony took place at the Angra do Heroísmo Correctional Facility and was attended by the Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice; the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment, Maria João Carreiro; the Deputy Minister for Justice, Gonçalo da Cunha Pires; the Director-General for Reintegration and Prison Services, Orlando Carvalho; the President of the Board of Directors of the Azores Training Centre, Acir Meirelles, and the Regional Director for Youth, Eládio Braga.

Under this programme, run by the Regional Secretariat for Youth, Housing and Employment and implemented through the Regional Directorate for Youth, young inmates up to 35 will have the opportunity to access a non-formal education programme focusing on entrepreneurial skills, as well as training and skills certification pathways, notably through the Valorizar Network.

According to Maria João Carreiro, “the Entrepreneurial Academy – Unlock Your Potential” does not merely teach [young inmates] how to set up businesses. It teaches them to identify problems and seek solutions, make decisions, deal with failure and try again, develop resilience, acquire skills and regain confidence, discover new abilities and imagine a different future.”

For the Regional Secretary, “if there is one place where these skills can make a difference,” it is in a correctional facility. For this reason, the Regional Government wants to “help build a bridge between time spent in prison and a return to the community, made up of knowledge, skills and opportunities.”

In 2024, a pilot project of the “Entrepreneurial Academy – Unlock Your Potential” was launched at Ponta Delgada Correctional Facility, involving more than a dozen young inmates.

The first run of this programme at Angra do Heroísmo Correctional Facility will take place from October to December this year and will include activities such as “Entrepreneur for a Day” and the development of personal projects and individual portfolios.

“It is not enough to create opportunities for those who are already close to such opportunities. We must also reach out to those facing greater obstacles through education, training and skills development,” she said.

The Secretary for Youth emphasised that “no single institution can tackle alone the challenges of reintegrating young people who face greater difficulties, more complex life paths and particularly demanding circumstances.” In this regard, she praised this partnership between the Government of the Azores, the Ministry of Justice and the CQA.

“This is the significance of this partnership, through which we commit to not giving up on young inmates and to providing them with the tools to forge a different path,” she said, defending that “there can be no truly accessible and inclusive youth policies if we leave some young people behind.”

The Entrepreneurial Academy was established by the Regional Government in 2024.

This programme comprises two components: the “School of Leaders” for children and young people at all levels of education, including vocational education, higher education and Private Social Solidarity Institutions (IPSS); and the “Unlock Your Potential” programme for young inmates in the Region's correctional facilities up to the age of 35.

Overall, more than 6,000 children and young people have taken part in the five editions of the “School of Leaders” held to date, involving more than 230 teachers and over 50 staff from Private Social Solidarity Institutions, representing regional public investment of over €540,000.