The Participatory Budget for Portugal Youth 2017 was launched in Tavira, on April 30th, in a session in which the municipality of São Brás de Alportel, the municipality that has involved children and young people in this participation process for the longest time in the country, was invited to give its a testimony.
The Algarve Regional Directorate of the Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth (IPDJ) chose the Youth Association Day to, in partnership with the Câmara de Tavira, make known the OP Jovem in the region and appeal for participation.
For this, it relied on the experience of an autarchy that has already included the youngest residents in the Participatory Budget process for 10 years.
São Brás de Alportel launched its first OP for children and young people in 2007 and has been repeating the experience ever since.
With this participatory process focused on the youngest, the aim was to «promote active and solidary citizenship among the municipality's youngest population, encouraging the youngest to intervene in decision-making about the future of their municipality», according to the City of São Paulo. Bras.
In the first year, the process, developed within the scope of the Choices Program of the High Commission for Migration, in a partnership between the City Council, Associação In Loco and the São Brás School Group, involved 9th grade students from the EB 2,3 School ,XNUMX Poet Bernardo de Passos. In subsequent editions, it was extended to students from the Secondary School.
«Through this project, young people from São Paulo were invited to participate in the process of preparing the municipal budget, presenting investment proposals. The young people were challenged: “What are your 3 wishes for your school, your street and your municipality?”. Properly grounded, with work developed on the ground, the proposals were presented to the municipal executive in “youth assemblies”, which took place in the Main Hall of the City Hall, in the same room where the Municipal Assembly meetings take place», described the autarchy.
Following the OP Jovem, exemplified by the City Council of São Brás, the Skate Park of São Brás de Alportel was born, «one of the most beloved projects among the young population», inaugurated in June 2016.
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