The Occupation of Free Time Programme, OTLJ, presented at a press conference that was held in Ponta Delgada on Friday, will include two new sub-programmes: “Holidays with Culture” and “Active Youngsters”.
Promoted by the Government of the Azores, through the Regional Directorate for Youth, OTLJ is a non-formal education programme that aims to provide youngsters with an innovative way of occupying their free time by stimulating the acquisition of knowledge, rules and values as well as of social and professional experiences which are fundamental for the promotion of skilled and responsible citizens.
This year the OTLJ programme will be divided in seven sub-programmes: “Holiday Occupation”; “Holidays with Culture”; “Environment”; “Science on Holidays”; “Young Students”; “Solidary Youth” and “Active Youngsters.”
“Being the result of a continuous evaluation,” as the Regional Director for Youth mentioned, “this programme includes two new categories, the sub-programmes “Holidays with Culture” and “Active Youngsters” which constitutes a new response that meets the expectations of youngsters.
The sub-programme “Youngsters with Culture” aims to stimulate youngsters’ interest in cultural activities, including activities that will be developed in the following areas: recovery of popular traditions; promotion of cultural heritage; promotion of research activities; promotion and dissemination of historical and cultural heritage; museology and conservation; archaeology and underwater archaeology.
With regard to “Active Youngsters,” Bruno Pacheco stressed that “this sub-programme was created after a pilot project that was implemented in 2007, known as Integration Projects. It was developed with the purpose of strengthening the respect for difference and enabling youngsters with fewer opportunities to have non-formal learning experiences by contacting with various areas of professional activity.”
Furthermore, the reformulation of OTLJ also intends to certify the skills acquired in a non-formal context from the projects developed by youngsters in a near future.
In order to provide a response that meets the youngsters’ expectations, the sub-programme “Young Students” will take place between the first week of November and the last week of May, unlike previous years when this sub-programme was held until the last week of March. The projects to be developed by this sub-programme will be held for a minimum period of one month up to a maximum period of five months.
Taking into account that the Programme of the Regional Government estimates the evolution and reinforcement of the OTLJ programme, it will be integrated in the regional and European strategies and plans related with youth policies, which awards priority status to the acknowledgement of non-formal learning and the complementary role in the civic dimension in non-formal educational activities as part of lifelong learning. 
The Regional Director for Youth urged “all entities with projects developed under the programme to meet the deadlines stipulated in the regulations, mainly with regard to the attendance registers of the youngsters.”