The headquarters of the Água D'Alto National Scouts (CNE) was opened last Thursday at an event attended by the Regional Director for Youth, Bruno Pacheco, the Bishop of the Azores, António Sousa Braga, and the Mayor of Vila Franca do Campo Town Hall, António Cordeiro.

The conclusion of the construction works of Água D'Alto also represents an investment carried out by the Azorean Government that also meets the Government's strategy to promote projects and activities developed by regional youth associations.

According to the Regional Director for Youth, Bruno Pacheco, "this is the type of investment that should become an example to follow" as this initiative is the result of joint efforts between public entities - Government and City Hall - and private entities.

The Government of the Azores, through the Regional Directorate for Youth, annually invests an average of 200,000 Euros in headquarters and infrastructures for youth associations, including scout associations.

Bruno Pacheco assured that the Government, under its strategy, has emphasised the role of proximity with youth associations as evidenced by this investment. "We will not focus our action on 'large associations'; we also want to support village association in the area youth," added the Regional Director.

However, the government official warned that these times will demand from us a greater capacity to take action, renew strategies and boost our creativity. "Nowadays, we have to do better with fewer resources," said the government official.  

Currently, there are 53 youth associations across the archipelago with over 10,500 youngsters whereas 15 years ago, there were little more than 4,000 youngsters participating in the 11 existing associations.

Moreover, the Government has been investing since 2007 over 1.1 million Euros in more than forty projects to build, equip, renew and improve the infrastructures of youth associations. The headquarters of Raminho AEP were already opened on Terceira this year and the works of "Casa do Escuteiro" (Scout House), Rabo de Peixe AEP, are currently in progress.