The “National Strategy for Social Inclusion” is the theme of a forum that takes place Saturday in Ponta Delgada. This forum is a joint initiative of the National Agency for the Management of Youth Programme and the Regional Directorate for Youth.

The inauguration of the forum is scheduled for 09:30 hrs and will be attended by Regional Secretary for the Presidency, André Bradford, who will make a presentation entitled “Azorean Youth in European Projects”. Bruno Pacheco, Regional Director for Youth and Maria Manuel Silva, Assistant Director of the National Agency for the Management of Youth Programme, will also attend the forum.

One of the objectives of the forum, which takes place at Ponta Delgada Public Library and Regional Archives, is to provide a platform for the exchange of views amongst those that have participated in the Youth-in-Action Programme.

The organisers of the forum seek to evaluate the applicability and development of inclusive youth programmes, adapting and revising intervention methods so as to improve the development of future youth projects.

The realisation of the forum was made possible by the signing of a protocol between the Local Development Technical Support and Investigation Unit, the Environmental Valorisation and Combating Social Exclusion agency (PROACT) and OIKOS/Poverty Zero.

The PROACT team is responsible for the technical coordination of the process while the OIKOS team is responsible for the provision of training in the subject of Social Inclusion.

At the end of the day a document with the conclusions of the proceedings will be published. This document will be the basis for the elaboration of the second phase of the “National Strategy for Social Inclusion.”

Governmental participation in this project follows from the policy of stimulating Azorean youth to engage in European projects, which was announced in the 10th Programme of the Regional Government of the Azores. This policy aims to make Azorean youth more aware of European Union matters.

The Azores, of all European regions, has the highest participation in such European exchange programmes that foment the construction of European citizenship.