The Vice-President of the Government highlighted on Terceira Island the importance of cooperation between institutions, the community and local living forces to improve the quality of life of the populations.
“An institution that, having been able to respond to the needs of the present and also the needs of the future, managed to congregate not only an entire community, but also the neighbouring communities,” said Sérgio Ávila. The government official spoke Monday at the inauguration of the governing bodies of the "Casa do Povo" of Santa Bárbara (community centre), a ceremony he presided over on behalf of the President of the Government.
“In particular, it had a reason for its success: the management skills of its governing bodies, its employees and the people it involved both in work and in volunteering context," stressed the Vice-President.
The "Casa do Povo" of Santa Bárbara, an institution that Sérgio Ávila pointed out as an example of cooperation that benefits the population, offers a series of services that include an Intergenerational Centre, created 15 years ago, with a diversity of social, recreational, cultural and training resources.
This institution has promoted initiatives such as "Haja Saúde," an intervention aimed at the promotion of community health, and "Âncora," a project focused on the prevention of dependencies in schools. These efforts have been undertaken in close collaboration with the Regional Government, the municipal councils of Angra do Heroísmo and Praia da Vitória, and the local Parish Council, among other partners.
On the occasion, Sérgio Ávila highlighted the innovation capacity of young people working at the Intergenerational Centre of the "Casa do Povo" of Santa Bárbara in a perspective of continuing the work carried out so far.
“They are qualified young people who, through other projects developed by this institution, have found employment in their communities. They did not limit themselves to having this job. Essentially, they are creating more jobs, more social support and more responses to young and old people," stressed the Vice-President.