An itinerant therapeutic cafe that goes to the interior of the municipality of Loulé to fight the isolation and loneliness of the elderly, a Casulo that wants to welcome innovative ideas and an Academy that, through art, helps the inclusion of young people. These are three of the projects out of the box, inaugurated this Tuesday, 25th of June, in Loulé, within the scope of the “Portugal Inovação Social” program.
Basically, these are innovative projects that «respond to the needs of the population», as mentioned by Maria do Céu Albuquerque, Secretary of State for Regional Development, who was in Loulé for the inaugurations.
It all started at the Convento Espírito Santo (formerly INUAF) in the new room at Casulo: an incubator for social innovation on a regional scale.
In other words, despite being headquartered in Loulé, Casulo can receive projects from all over the Algarve.
The only premise is that they promote social inclusion, territorial cohesion, youth entrepreneurship and social sustainability.
This Casulo, «that welcomes and embraces», is a project promoted by the António Aleixo Association, which also aims to secure young employment.
As for the Café Interior, it is an innovative social response to such an old problem: the isolation of the elderly.
In a van, a multidisciplinary team from the Portuguese Red Cross is already visiting the parishes of Alte, Benafim, Querença, Salir and Tôr, where they present…therapeutic menus.
There is the Diet Plate (which aims to promote a healthy lifestyle), the Buffet (Artistic and recreational activities), the Request à La Carte (reflection on life stories) and even a History Round that wants to provide access to new cultural experiences.
The idea is, with these metaphors, to provide those who need it most a close social response that incorporates several aspects: the physical part, but also the cognitive stimulation itself.
As for the IluminArte Academy, inaugurated in a store opposite the Câmara de Loulé, it is a project of the Satori Association.
The idea is to continue «the social work for art» already done, as Fernando Cabral explained.
The mission is to promote the active participation, in community life, of young people at risk of social exclusion, through education and inclusion through art.
In this academy, which will have three courses (urban art, theater and circus arts) the calendar will not be the school one, with workshops or workshops that respond to the needs of the community being planned. Registration is now open.
Vítor Aleixo, mayor of Loulé, said, in the presentation of these three projects, that these are “ideas consistent with answers to social problems”.
"The problems continue to exist and we have to find new answers for them," added the Loulé mayor.
Secretary of State Maria do Céu Albuquerque considered that the inauguration of these three initiatives was «an important day for Loulé, for the Algarve and for Portugal».
These projects are part of a total of 9 that were approved, in the region, in the scope of Portugal Inovação Social, a program that has already opened two call for applications.
Photos: Rodrigo Damascene | Sul Informação
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