The Regional Director for Communities praised in Hilmar, California, the "active participation" of young people of Azorean descent in institutions and organisations representing the Azorean community as "a commitment to the future with the legacy inherited."
 
"The commitment, dedication and your willingness to perpetuate in the future our identity is a major responsibility that contributes to the affirmation of the Azores in the world," said Paulo Teves, who spoke at the House of the Azores of Hilmar Monday.
 
In his speech, the Regional Director defended that "the Houses of Azores are indispensable institutions for the dissemination and promotion of the image of the Azores and their potentialities outside the archipelago.
 
"The House of the Azores of Hilmar is a unifying factor of the Azoreans who have settled in this area of California and the mainstay of their traditions and customs. It has provided an exemplary contribution with its dynamic work to the social and cultural cohesion of the community where it is based," said Paulo Teves.
 
In the context of his visit to the Azorean communities,the Regional Director also met Monday with the students attending the Portuguese course at California State University in Turlock.
                                                                                         

At the time, Paulo Teves stressed the importance of the Portuguese language as "recovery tool of the rich cultural heritage that identifies younger generations and allows them to take pride of the values inherited from their ancestors." 
 
For Paulo Teves, "the knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture contributes to the projection, cohesion and integration of communities as well as to the promotion of Portuguese values in the host societies."
 
"The Azores are, par excellence, a place where sustainable development is clearly visible," the government official said, challenging young people who have never visited the Azores to "discover the land that belongs to them and with which they will easily identify."
 
While visiting Turlock, Paulo Teves visited VALER-Valley Area Living Enabling Resources, an institution that aims to provide social support to the local community, where he stressed "the outstanding work in favour of integration and solidarity to people in need."
 
The Regional Director for Communities is currently visiting Berkeley and San José, where he will meet with various institutions and with the Azorean community.