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Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática
Civil Protection creates innovative tool to support Junior and Cadet Schools in the Azores
Civil Protection creates innovative tool to support Junior and Cadet Schools in the Azores
Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática
Azores to host Environmental Education Days in Horta alongside Regional Environmental Meeting for the first time
Azores to host Environmental Education Days in Horta alongside Regional Environmental Meeting for the first time
Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática
Communiqué – Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle
Communiqué – Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle
October 2, 2025
Civil Protection creates innovative tool to support Junior and Cadet Schools in the Azores
September 30, 2025
Azores to host Environmental Education Days in Horta alongside Regional Environmental Meeting for the first time
September 26, 2025
Communiqué – Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle
News
Nota de Imprensa
October 2, 2025
Civil Protection creates innovative tool to support Junior and Cadet Schools in the Azores
The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action, Alonso Miguel, highlighted the importance of approving the Regulation supporting the establishment and promotion of Junior and Cadet Schools (EIC) in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, which had already been published through Regulatory Order no. 31/2025 of October 1, 2025. According to Alonso Miguel, who oversees Civil Protection, "this law allows us to define clear rules for the establishment, operation and support of these schools, ensuring conditions for their development and sustainability in all fire departments across the Region." On the occasion, the governor emphasised that "the Autonomous Region of the Azores is a pioneer in the country with the creation of its own regulatory framework for these schools." As he further stated, they are a privileged space for the education and training of children and young people aged between six and 16 in the areas of citizenship, volunteering, protection and rescue. Among the measures approved, Alonso Miguel highlighted "annual financial support of €40 for each junior or cadet, which will cover costs with uniforms, and €300 per school to promote the activity plan." The monitoring and assessment of the activities implemented, as well as the allocation of support to Humanitarian Associations operating fire brigades in areas where these schools are located, shall be the responsibility of the Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service (SRPCBA). The Regional Secretary also pointed out the educational dimension provided by EIC, noting that the goal is to ‘instil values such as discipline, resilience, rigour, pride and altruism. This is an opportunity to boost young people's future integration into the firefighting career, while also preparing them to be more informed citizens capable of dealing with serious accidents or disasters." The Junior and Cadet Schools of the fire brigades are aimed at two age groups: Juniors, aged between six and 13, who receive training focused on learning fundamental values such as discipline, respect, teamwork, first aid and basic civil protection concepts, and Cadets, aged between 14 and 16, who have access to more advanced training, including technical content related to firefighting, rescue and other operational activities. There are currently 10 active Junior and Cadet Schools in the Azores: Santa Maria, Ponta Delgada, Ribeira Grande, Vila Franca do Campo, Povoação, Nordeste, Calheta, São Roque do Pico, Faial, and Santa Cruz das Flores, totalling 251 enrolled members.
October 2, 2025
Civil Protection creates innovative tool to support Junior and Cadet Schools in the Azores
The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action, Alonso Miguel, highlighted the importance of approving the Regulation supporting the establishment and promotion of Junior and Cadet Schools (EIC) in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, which had already been published through Regulatory Order no. 31/2025 of October 1, 2025. According to Alonso Miguel, who oversees Civil Protection, "this law allows us to define clear rules for the establishment, operation and support of these schools, ensuring conditions for their development and sustainability in all fire departments across the Region." On the occasion, the governor emphasised that "the Autonomous Region of the Azores is a pioneer in the country with the creation of its own regulatory framework for these schools." As he further stated, they are a privileged space for the education and training of children and young people aged between six and 16 in the areas of citizenship, volunteering, protection and rescue. Among the measures approved, Alonso Miguel highlighted "annual financial support of €40 for each junior or cadet, which will cover costs with uniforms, and €300 per school to promote the activity plan." The monitoring and assessment of the activities implemented, as well as the allocation of support to Humanitarian Associations operating fire brigades in areas where these schools are located, shall be the responsibility of the Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service (SRPCBA). The Regional Secretary also pointed out the educational dimension provided by EIC, noting that the goal is to ‘instil values such as discipline, resilience, rigour, pride and altruism. This is an opportunity to boost young people's future integration into the firefighting career, while also preparing them to be more informed citizens capable of dealing with serious accidents or disasters." The Junior and Cadet Schools of the fire brigades are aimed at two age groups: Juniors, aged between six and 13, who receive training focused on learning fundamental values such as discipline, respect, teamwork, first aid and basic civil protection concepts, and Cadets, aged between 14 and 16, who have access to more advanced training, including technical content related to firefighting, rescue and other operational activities. There are currently 10 active Junior and Cadet Schools in the Azores: Santa Maria, Ponta Delgada, Ribeira Grande, Vila Franca do Campo, Povoação, Nordeste, Calheta, São Roque do Pico, Faial, and Santa Cruz das Flores, totalling 251 enrolled members.
Nota de Imprensa
September 30, 2025
Azores to host Environmental Education Days in Horta alongside Regional Environmental Meeting for the first time
The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action, Alonso Miguel, chaired the opening session of the 16th edition of the Regional Environmental Education Meeting, held for the first time in conjunction with the Environmental Education Days, one of the most significant national events dedicated to promoting environmental literacy. The event runs until Thursday, October 2, in Horta. Alonso Miguel noted that "the Regional Government is pleased to host the 31st edition of the Environmental Education Days in the Azores, specifically in Horta. This national event will take place simultaneously with the 16th Regional Environmental Education Meeting, in collaboration with the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action, the Portuguese Association for Environmental Education, the GeoAçores Association and the Blue Flag Association for the Environment and Education." "Our planet faces increasingly complex and emerging challenges, such as climate change, environmental pollution, the destruction of ecosystems and biodiversity loss, with worrying environmental, economic and social consequences," emphasised the government official. The Regional Secretary for the Environment recalled that the United Nations General Assembly declared the 2021-2030 period as the "Decade of Ecosystem Restoration." He added that it is "necessary and urgent to rethink consumption patterns, ensure more responsible behaviour and bring about a paradigm shift, accelerating the ecological transition, as advocated in the European Green Deal and in compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations." Alonso Miguel stated that "in responding to these challenges, the Azorean Government has developed a wide range of public policies, projects and actions, always with a view to ensuring the sustainable development of the nine islands." "Examples of this commitment include the development of Roadmaps for the Circular Economy and Carbon Neutrality in the Azores, the restructuring and modernisation of the Azores Waste Processing Centres, the implementation of the Azores Regional Climate Change Programme, the creation of the Azores Marine Protected Areas Network, and the development of various nature conservation projects, with special emphasis on the LIFE Projects currently underway in the Region," he listed. The Regional Secretary acknowledged that, "nevertheless, the key to success in sustainable development lies in environmental education, which, due to its cross-cutting nature, plays a privileged role in promoting responsible sustainable attitudes and values." For Alonso Miguel, “this event, which combines these two initiatives, at a regional and national level, is a unique opportunity to consolidate the importance of environmental education in the context of sustainable community development, a topic of paramount importance to the Azores.” The government official also noted that "environmental literacy is one of the fundamental pillars of the mission of the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action, seeking to raise awareness of environmental challenges, foster a sense of belonging and individual responsibility, and ensure the protection and enhancement of the Azores' extraordinary natural heritage." “Environmental education is a shared responsibility, fundamental to building a more conscious, informed and responsible society, where schools play an essential role in training citizens capable of exercising active and critical citizenship committed to the future of our planet,” he added. During this meeting, the School Environmental Awareness Activities Programme for the 2025/2026 school year will also be presented. The initiative is targeted at all schools in the Region. The government official revealed that it will be "an even richer and more diverse programme, comprising 65 different activities, including interpretive trails, games, exhibitions, educational games and guided tours to Environmental Centres. They will cover topics such as nature conservation, climate change, natural hazards, waste and the circular economy." Since the implementation of this programme in 2022, around 2,600 activities have been organised, involving more than 56,000 young people across all islands in the archipelago. "This result confirms the success and impact of this initiative on the environmental education of younger generations," concluded Alonso Miguel. In addition to the Eco-Schools Award ceremony, the four-day event will feature a series of lectures, presentations, round tables and workshops focusing on geodiversity as a starting point for discussing other topics such as natural resource management, climate change, climate justice, geological risk management and the role of ecosystem services. It brings together several experts of recognised national and international prestige.
September 30, 2025
Azores to host Environmental Education Days in Horta alongside Regional Environmental Meeting for the first time
The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action, Alonso Miguel, chaired the opening session of the 16th edition of the Regional Environmental Education Meeting, held for the first time in conjunction with the Environmental Education Days, one of the most significant national events dedicated to promoting environmental literacy. The event runs until Thursday, October 2, in Horta. Alonso Miguel noted that "the Regional Government is pleased to host the 31st edition of the Environmental Education Days in the Azores, specifically in Horta. This national event will take place simultaneously with the 16th Regional Environmental Education Meeting, in collaboration with the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action, the Portuguese Association for Environmental Education, the GeoAçores Association and the Blue Flag Association for the Environment and Education." "Our planet faces increasingly complex and emerging challenges, such as climate change, environmental pollution, the destruction of ecosystems and biodiversity loss, with worrying environmental, economic and social consequences," emphasised the government official. The Regional Secretary for the Environment recalled that the United Nations General Assembly declared the 2021-2030 period as the "Decade of Ecosystem Restoration." He added that it is "necessary and urgent to rethink consumption patterns, ensure more responsible behaviour and bring about a paradigm shift, accelerating the ecological transition, as advocated in the European Green Deal and in compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations." Alonso Miguel stated that "in responding to these challenges, the Azorean Government has developed a wide range of public policies, projects and actions, always with a view to ensuring the sustainable development of the nine islands." "Examples of this commitment include the development of Roadmaps for the Circular Economy and Carbon Neutrality in the Azores, the restructuring and modernisation of the Azores Waste Processing Centres, the implementation of the Azores Regional Climate Change Programme, the creation of the Azores Marine Protected Areas Network, and the development of various nature conservation projects, with special emphasis on the LIFE Projects currently underway in the Region," he listed. The Regional Secretary acknowledged that, "nevertheless, the key to success in sustainable development lies in environmental education, which, due to its cross-cutting nature, plays a privileged role in promoting responsible sustainable attitudes and values." For Alonso Miguel, “this event, which combines these two initiatives, at a regional and national level, is a unique opportunity to consolidate the importance of environmental education in the context of sustainable community development, a topic of paramount importance to the Azores.” The government official also noted that "environmental literacy is one of the fundamental pillars of the mission of the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action, seeking to raise awareness of environmental challenges, foster a sense of belonging and individual responsibility, and ensure the protection and enhancement of the Azores' extraordinary natural heritage." “Environmental education is a shared responsibility, fundamental to building a more conscious, informed and responsible society, where schools play an essential role in training citizens capable of exercising active and critical citizenship committed to the future of our planet,” he added. During this meeting, the School Environmental Awareness Activities Programme for the 2025/2026 school year will also be presented. The initiative is targeted at all schools in the Region. The government official revealed that it will be "an even richer and more diverse programme, comprising 65 different activities, including interpretive trails, games, exhibitions, educational games and guided tours to Environmental Centres. They will cover topics such as nature conservation, climate change, natural hazards, waste and the circular economy." Since the implementation of this programme in 2022, around 2,600 activities have been organised, involving more than 56,000 young people across all islands in the archipelago. "This result confirms the success and impact of this initiative on the environmental education of younger generations," concluded Alonso Miguel. In addition to the Eco-Schools Award ceremony, the four-day event will feature a series of lectures, presentations, round tables and workshops focusing on geodiversity as a starting point for discussing other topics such as natural resource management, climate change, climate justice, geological risk management and the role of ecosystem services. It brings together several experts of recognised national and international prestige.