Over a hundred young people from Azores and Madeira at Youth Volunteering Academy
Ponta Delgada
Secretaria Regional da Juventude, Habitação e Emprego
120 young people from the Azores and Madeira have taken part in the Youth Volunteering Academy since 2021. This is a programme shared by the two autonomous regions designed to encourage young people to get involved in volunteering projects in the neighbouring archipelago. The programme is run in the Azores by the Regional Secretariat for Youth, Housing and Employment, through the Regional Directorate for Youth.
The overall number of participants comprises 61 residents of the Azores and 59 residents of Madeira.
The Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment emphasised that the level of participation indicates that “this programme is of relevance for young people in both regions, considering what it offers in terms of exchange and opportunities for participation in society and the exercise of active citizenship.”
Under this assumption, and following an evaluation of the programme’s implementation, the Regional Government has just increased support for young Azoreans participating in volunteering projects in Madeira to “ensure more attractive conditions for participation,” explained Maria João Carreiro.
The improvements to the regulations of the Youth Volunteering Academy, enshrined in an Ordinance published in the Official Journal, include the increase in the support grant awarded by the Government of the Azores to young Azoreans volunteering in Madeira, which now stands at €500/month. This represents an increase of €100 compared to the grant stipulated for 2022.
Young Azoreans will also now benefit from support for travel expenses between the airport and their accommodation in Madeira, and vice versa, whilst still benefiting from full support for round-trip travel between the Azores and Madeira, in addition to personal accident insurance coverage.
Accommodation during the volunteering project is provided by the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
Volunteering projects under the Youth Volunteering Academy programme last for one month, between April and November, always starting at the beginning of each month.
Applications from young people and organisations promoting volunteering projects are accepted throughout the year on the Youth Portal, available at juventude.azores.gov.pt.
Young people aged between 18 and 30 at the beginning of the volunteering project, who are residents in the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira, are eligible for the programme.
For young people living in Madeira who are volunteering in the Azores, the Azorean Government, through the recently published Ordinance, guarantees not only accommodation but also support for ground transport between their place of residence and the project location. It also provides support for transfers between the airport and the place where they will be accommodated, and vice versa, in addition to social and cultural integration activities.
