Azores Commissioner's Office for Childhood marks World Children’s Day with seminar on ageism challenges - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Saúde e Segurança Social

The Regional Secretariat for Health and Social Security, through the Azores Commissioner's Office for Childhood (CAI), is organising the seminar “Invisible Generations? Challenges of Ageism in Childhood and Youth,” an initiative marking World Children’s Day, celebrated on June 1.

The seminar is intended to encourage reflection on the different forms of age-based discrimination affecting children and young people, as well as to discuss the right of children and young people to participate in public, educational and social spaces. The initiative also seeks to raise public awareness regarding the need to listen to and involve children and young people in decision-making processes that concern them.

The opening session will feature speeches by the President of CAI, Emanuel Areias, the Mayor of Praia da Vitória, Vânia Ferreira, and the President of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, Luís Garcia, who will chair the session.

The conference “Growing up with a voice: child participation as a right” will take place at 10 a.m. It will be delivered by the former President of the Child Support Institute, who will address the importance of children’s participation as a fundamental aspect of their rights.

This will be followed by a discussion on the topic “The current state of ageism in Portugal and the Azores,” featuring José Carreira, President of the STOP Ageism Association, and Matilde Silva, Coordinator of the Envelhe (ser) Sem Preconceito at CPSBIT, who will analyse age-related prejudices and stereotypes and their impact on different generations.

Finally, there will be a round-table discussion, “From boldness to prejudice: being young in public spaces,” featuring Octávia Pinheiro, a journalist, Leonor Festa, a teacher and music school director, Emanuel Sousa, Deputy Mayor of Praia da Vitória, and Raquel Lourenço, Mayor of Sobral de Monte Agraço. The session will be moderated by Marta Silva, journalist at RTP/Açores.

The seminar will end at 1 p.m.; admission is free and open to the general public.

The initiative is part of the strategy implemented by the Azores Commissioner's Office for Childhood to promote children's rights and increase community awareness of the current challenges faced by children and young people. It emphasises the importance of their active participation in society.