Braga is one of the youngest European cities, with development levels and standard of living much higher than the national average, presenting itself as a city full of opportunities for young people.
Nevertheless, there are young people, identified as vulnerable to social exclusion, that cannot reach those opportunities.
They were born and grew up in Public Housing neighbourhoods, i.e. disadvantaged places from an urban and a social point of view, marked by poverty, characterised by scarcity of infrastructure and a profoundly negative symbolic burden.
On one hand, these youngsters are soon called to assume family responsibilities (take care of younger brothers or sisters, household duties, contribute to the family income budget etc.) and are forced to emancipate themselves from their parents too early (this being particularly true for specific ethnic groups).
On the other hand, school failure (69,4% of the youngsters that attend school, have failed at least one year) and early school leaving (77% of the youngsters that have already left the school system, have not completed compulsory education - at least 9 years of school), contribute to reinforce the elements leading to the permanence of these children and youth in poverty and socially disadvantaged situations.
Excluded from school, too young and without sufficient qualifications to get a job, these youngsters just cannot break this chain.
Moreover, the exclusion processes in those areas, favour the occurrence of several social pathologies. Nearly 30% of these children and youngsters live in drugs environments (traffic and use) in their domestic space, 27% suffer alcohol abuse and 31,7% live with relatives whose life stories are marked by delinquency and offences.
Living everyday with misery, scarcity of opportunities and resources, low self-esteem, lack of social, cultural and leisure equipments can push into “fatal destinies” the children and youngsters that live in those disadvantaged territories.
12.7.07
Social Concerns
Portuguese youngsters and their needs/ problems:
According to a recent study, the three main concerns of Portuguese Youth are employment, health and drugs.
According to a recent study, the three main concerns of Portuguese Youth are employment, health and drugs.
The figure illustrates the results of a survey applied to a sample of 1000 Portuguese young people.
10.7.07
Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU
The EU Council Presidency is held successively by each Member-State for a period of six months, in accordance with a rotation system pre-established by the Council itself, currently until June 2020.
Portugal is to carry out this task for the third time after the Presidencies of 1992 and 2000, taking over from Germany on 1 July 2007 and handing over to Slovenia on 31 December 2007.
During this six-month period, the Member-State which holds the Presidency plays an essential role in the following areas:
The priorities of the portuguese presidency can be seen in the fellowing link:
These priorities include:
- The future of the Union
- The Lisbon Strategy
- Strengthening the area of freedom, security and justice
- Europe and the world
This presidency slogan is: "A Stronger Union for a Better World"
8.7.07
August Newsletter of the Yes Project, by Ágora Bracarense
The August newsletter of the Yes Project will be constructed by Ágora Bracarense.
This is what you will find in our newsletter:
1st Page:
"Ágora Bracarense" Presentation
Portugal and Europe I - Lisbon Strategy
2nd Page:
Youngsters with less oportunities in Braga
Braga and the Iberian Institute of Nanotechnologies
Presentation of the "Só-Cenas" Association
3rd Page:
"Culture and the City" debate of 20th July
Portugal and Europe II - The Portuguese Presidency of the EU
As in the previous newsletters you can also find in each page some european founding opportunities for youngsters associations.
Construbutions may be sent to our e-mail: agorabracarense@gmail.com
This newsletter will be edited in four languages: portuguese, english, spanish and italian.
Ágora Bracarense Presentation
Ágora Bracarense it’s a Portuguese civic organization. And in its majority it is composed by youngsters. Recently founded, by a group of friends, we represent the huge willpower to do something in our hometown and in our region in what it concerns to civic participation where young people must have a word to say. It was not easy our first steps, but now we have a project and are determined in carrying it out.
We have several goals in our action plan. We are a group of young people, but we have great perspectives and much work in front of us. Our main goal, one of our major intents it’s to try to call to front line young people with ambition and willing to participate, to be active actors, give them opportunities to show their skills and “spread” their ideas.
As in ancient Greece, we intend to be an Agora, the place of public debate. It is very important for youngsters to express their opinions and wants. We desire to discuss youth issues, because we are aware they exist and we believe that any of us has the power to do something. We have dreams, but we also have strengths to shape the world. At Ágora Bracarense we share opinions, but also debate different points of view. From difference comes complementarity. And it brings us profits, added value.
We are a melting pot of various youngsters with different lifestyles, but we share the same ideals. We are students, teachers, unemployed people, and professionals. But we are all young people, and has we are young, we have the world in front of us. And we like to face it. And we all believe that, as a Portuguese poet said once: “when man dreams, the world jumps and goes forward, just like a colorful ball in a kid’s hand”.
We have several goals in our action plan. We are a group of young people, but we have great perspectives and much work in front of us. Our main goal, one of our major intents it’s to try to call to front line young people with ambition and willing to participate, to be active actors, give them opportunities to show their skills and “spread” their ideas.
As in ancient Greece, we intend to be an Agora, the place of public debate. It is very important for youngsters to express their opinions and wants. We desire to discuss youth issues, because we are aware they exist and we believe that any of us has the power to do something. We have dreams, but we also have strengths to shape the world. At Ágora Bracarense we share opinions, but also debate different points of view. From difference comes complementarity. And it brings us profits, added value.
We are a melting pot of various youngsters with different lifestyles, but we share the same ideals. We are students, teachers, unemployed people, and professionals. But we are all young people, and has we are young, we have the world in front of us. And we like to face it. And we all believe that, as a Portuguese poet said once: “when man dreams, the world jumps and goes forward, just like a colorful ball in a kid’s hand”.
Blog Presentation
This new blog appears because of the need of presenting Ágora Bracarense in an international scale. Because our work is not restricted in our region or country and because we participate and intend to participate even more in international programmes, we thought this was the time to open our Ágora to the world.
This blog: http://www.agorabracarense-en.blogspot.com/ will be interely in english.
The original version: http://www.agorabracarense.blogspot.com/ will be in portuguese.
Any sugestions or contributions should be sent to our e-mail: agorabracarense@gmail.com
This blog: http://www.agorabracarense-en.blogspot.com/ will be interely in english.
The original version: http://www.agorabracarense.blogspot.com/ will be in portuguese.
Any sugestions or contributions should be sent to our e-mail: agorabracarense@gmail.com
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