The Regional Director for Communities announced today the launch of the contest "Azores: Sea of Cultures," an initiative intended to combat racism and xenophobia in a Region that has become the home for immigrants from 80 nationalities.

  Speaking to the students of S. Roque do Pico Basic Education and Secondary School, Paulo Teves stressed that this initiatives aims "to promote interculturalism and encourage youngsters to acquire an in-depth knowledge on the phenomenon of immigration in the Azores, through the use of new communication and image technologies."

The Regional Director delivered an open lecture on "Interculturalism in 21st-century Azores." The government official revealed that this contest is organised by the Government of the Azores, through the Regional Directorate for Communities. This contest is addressed at students attending the 10th and 11th forms as well as at students attending the first two years of level 3 vocational training courses at regional schools in the current school year.

According to Paulo Teves, students "must participate in groups of three and submit a work in video format on the theme of immigration in the Azores; it may be presented as journalistic or historical report or even as a creative story."

The works to be submitted under this contest should focus on the issue of immigration in the Azores and emphasise the following aspects: "the awareness of society for the issues of equality, citizenship, cultural diversity and the fight against racial and cultural discrimination," added the government official.

It is required that each group be overseen by a teacher, who will be in charge of monitoring the development of work. The project should be submitted to the Regional Directorate for Communities until May 30; the winner will be announced until July 31.

The winning team and the respective teacher in charge will be awarded a trip to Geneva, Switzerland, where they will have the opportunity of visiting several international institutions in the area of migration, including the headquarters of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). This trip also includes a visit to Lisbon.

Speaking to journalists at the end of the open lecture, Paulo Teves said he believes that thanks to the new technologies and social networks, "the Azoreans living in communities scattered around the world can get acquainted with what is going on in the archipelago in a matter of seconds."

"In this context, I think youngsters can take on this mission to disseminate the Azores of today, which are quite different from what they were in the 60s or 70s. Nowadays, the Azores are a modern region that invests in new technologies, being also a sustainable tourist destination and a young region. And for that reason, I believe that youngsters are the best ambassadors of the Azores of today," stressed the Regional Director.