Youth participation in community intervention processes

Community intervention processes must be conducted based on the participation and active citizenship of people and institutions as a strategy for empowering boards and developing territories.

Reflecting, in particular, on youth participation in these community intervention processes, an open class took place at Lusófona University - Lisbon University Center on May 24, where the aim was to find out:

• How can we raise awareness and motivate young people to get involved in solving problems that affect them?
• What are the most appropriate strategies and approaches to promote youth participation? What obstacles and challenges might we encounter?
• And what impacts can youth participation bring to local development?

To try to help answer these (and other) questions, the event had the collaboration of social workers, specialists in Community Development, from the Aga Khan Portugal Foundation, as well as young Community Facilitators who addressed their personal experiences.

The organization and dynamization of this event was in charge of Professor Nélson Ramalho, director of the Curricular Unit “Social Service and Intervention in Communities”, in close collaboration with the students of the 2nd year of the Degree in Social Work.

The program had an opening session held by Nélson Ramalho, assistant professor at the Institute of Social Work at Lusófona University and Sandra Borges, a 2nd year student of the Degree in Social Work, followed by a panel with the theme: “ Youth participation in community intervention processes”, by Rodrigo Faria and Sofia Peyssonneau, Social Workers Community Development Technicians, from the Aga Khan Portugal Foundation. Afterwards, those present were able to think and debate with the students of the 2nd year of the Degree in Social Work, Tiago Carrasqueira and Flávio Lourenço, and the closing session took place.

See event photos