HIGHLIGHTS
More than 380 young people are already benefiting from the “Cheque-Livro Açores”
https://portal.azores.gov.pt/web/comunicacao/news-detail?id=20846956
The Regional Secretariat for Youth, Housing and Employment, through the Regional Directorate for Youth, has already issued more than 380 “Book Checks” to young people residing in the Azores aged 18, in an approved global investment of 38 thousand euros and more than 390 approved sales. For the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment, Maria João Carreiro, this is an “expressive” adherence to an unprecedented measure in the Region to “encourage young people to reinforce their portfolio of skills and knowledge through reading and printed books”. Each “Açores Book Check” has a value of 100 euros for the purchase of physical books in bookstores or establishments that sell participating books, and can be used in different purchases and establishments during a period of one year from the date of issuance. Young people's applications for the “Cheque-Livro Açores” must be formalized on the Youth Portal, at loja.azores.gov.pt, between the day the young person turns 18 years old and the day before their 19th birthday. The “Cheque-Livro Açores”, in digital format, is personal and non-transferable. The amount of the book/s purchased with the “Cheque-Livro Açores” is reimbursed by the Regional Government to bookstores, booksellers and establishments selling books that adhere to the measure and that are identified on the Azores Youth portal. Young people residing on islands without entities adhering to the measure can purchase books from intermediary entities, which are responsible for selling digitally and shipping the books. The costs of sending the books are paid directly to the intermediary entities, and are not deducted from the beneficiary's balance of the “Cheque-Livro Açores”. The “Cheque-Livro Açores” is part of the “+Jovem” package, an unprecedented initiative in the Region for young residents, which includes “Regressa a Casa” or the “Salary Enhancement Measure”.
REDES Program with youth volunteering projects in the Region
https://portal.azores.gov.pt/web/comunicacao/news-detail?id=20794457
More than 90 young people living in the Azores have already applied to the REDES – Regional Youth Volunteer Network program, with 44 young people having already been placed. Applications for this program from the Regional Secretariat for Youth, Housing and Employment, implemented through the Regional Directorate for Youth, take place during an open period for young people and entities at juventude.azores.gov.pt. All young people already placed in REDES opted for regular volunteering projects, lasting three to nine months, in institutions or associations with activities in the areas of culture, social inclusion, sport, environment, health and prevention of risk behaviors, social support for children, young people, the elderly and people with disabilities, animal welfare, among other areas of action. Young people involved in regular volunteering projects are awarded a monthly grant of up to 180 euros, for a total of 1,620 euros, if the young person completes nine months of volunteering. REDES also includes a modality for short-term volunteer projects. In this modality, which includes volunteering to renovate a house or collect animals, for example, projects last from one to five days, for a total of 25 hours. Young people benefit from a support grant totaling between 21 euros and 75 euros. Entities with approved projects, the description of the projects and the number of vacancies are identified and available for consultation at https://juventude.azores.gov.pt/programa/redes/, through which young people interested in volunteering can propose their candidacy. Currently, 21 applications from entities have been approved for 31 vacancies in regular volunteering projects in São Miguel, Pico, Terceira, Graciosa and São Jorge, and nine applications from entities for 31 vacancies in short-term projects in São Miguel, Pico and Terceira. REDES is aimed at young people residing in the Azores, aged between 15 and 28 years old at the date of submission of the application, and aims to promote opportunities for the development of personal and technical skills, as well as for the exercise of active and supportive citizenship in activities that contribute to their communities. Youth associations and youth associations, student associations registered in the Azorean Register of Youth Associations can apply for volunteer projects; public entities; IPSS, sports clubs or other non-governmental and civil society organizations with projects aligned with the program areas. REDES - Regional Youth Volunteer Network was announced in June this year by the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment, in Lajes do Pico, on the island of Pico. Maria João Carreiro, on the occasion, explained that the objective of the Government of the Azores with this new program is to “affirm the importance of volunteering for the development and personal, social and civic training of young people”, therefore calling for good adherence and participation by entities in offering volunteer projects that can add value to institutions and young people.
Youth associations in the Azores with public support of more than 816 thousand euros
https://portal.azores.gov.pt/web/comunicacao/news-detail?id=20514458
Youth associations registered in the Azorean Register of Youth Associations benefited, between 2024 and 2025, from regional public support in a global amount exceeding 816 thousand euros, said the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment, at the inauguration of the management building of the Casa do Escuteiro complex, of the National Listening Corps, in Ponta Delgada. This support, granted within the scope of the Incentive System for the Development of Youth Associative Activity (SIDAAJ), allowed investments in the execution of the activity plans of youth associations, as well as in equipment and headquarters or in additional activities, such as the organization and participation in training activities, stated Maria João Carreiro. “More than proclaiming and evoking the importance of associations, this Government of the Azores works to encourage and awaken the action of youth associations”, he said. The Regional Secretary highlighted the “good example” of the National Scout Corps, which between 2024 and 2025 applied for 84 projects to develop with children and young scouts, whose implementation and execution the Region contributed with an investment of more than 50 thousand euros. To this amount, there are 82 thousand euros in public support, in the same period, for investment in equipment, headquarters and additional activities, as well as the 50 thousand euros allocated through the Regional Youth Directorate for the Casa do Escuteiro, “an infrastructure that symbolizes the commitment to training children and young people to exercise responsible citizenship and committed to collective well-being”, he valued. Currently, 28 youth or similar associations are registered in the Azorean Register of Youth Associations, which means 14 more associations compared to the number registered in 2019. “In the Azores, youth associations are alive and recommended”, praised the Regional Secretary. More than a number, “this growth clearly testifies to the interest and commitment of young people and the confidence in a policy that invites young people to organize themselves around their interests and needs and to participate in the construction of a plural, inclusive and sustainable society”, he said. For 2026, the Government of the Azores increased the global amount of financing available so that youth associations can implement and execute their activity plans. In total, there are 170 thousand euros, which represents an increase of around 90 thousand euros compared to public funding in 2019. In the proposed Plan and Budget for 2026, which will be considered and voted on at the end of this month in the Legislative Assembly of the Azores, the Regional Government, through the Regional Secretariat for Youth, Housing and Employment, proposes to invest two million euros next year “in programs that promote a culture of personal investment by young people in their civic and professional training”.
Interjovem Card holders with interisland air travel for 21 euros during the month of December
https://www.cartaointerjovem.com/
By Order from the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment, Maria João Carreiro, young holders of the Interjovem Card can benefit from inter-island air travel for 21 euros, round trip, or 15 euros, one way, operated by SATA Air Açores.
These values are valid for trips made between December 1st and 31st, as part of the Interjovem Card's special Christmas campaign, a month in which “there is an increase in trips by young students returning to their island of origin”, notes the government official.
"During this period, initiatives related to the Christmas season also proliferate on the different islands. In this sense, the improvement of the advantages offered by the Interjovem Card, during this festive season, contributes to greater mobility of young people between islands", he adds.
Maria João Carreiro explains that “the Interjovem Card offers more mobility to young people”, following the program contract between the Region, Atlânticoline S.A. and SATA Air Açores that allows, among other advantages throughout the year, to create specific commercial campaigns that are more advantageous for young people.
The Interjovem Card is an initiative by the Government of the Azores to promote youth mobility in the archipelago, associated with commercial advantages and discounts, and is aimed at young people born or resident in the Azores, as well as young Azores descendants registered on the “Açorianos no Mundo” platform, aged between 13 and 30.
Since 2021, several improvements and advantages have been implemented to add value to the ownership and use of the Interjovem Card, such as the 20% discount on the Azores Tariff, that is, at most young people pay 48 euros on an inter-island air trip (round trip), with the same booking conditions as the Azores Tariff being guaranteed for the Interjovem Tariff.
The Interjovem Card can be purchased on the website https://www.cartaointerjovem.com or on the new APP for mobile devices, and payment can be made via MBWay or Credit Card, through the RIAC payment platform.
The Interjovem Card, which is promoted through the Regional Youth Directorate, has more than 100 partnerships on all islands in the Region, guaranteeing a minimum of 10% discount on the services offered by partners to Card holders.
Network applications open - Regional Youth Volunteer Network
https://portal.azores.gov.pt/web/comunicacao/news-detail?id=19131346
Applications to the new Networks Program - Regional Youth Volunteering Network, created and implemented by the Regional Secretariat of Youth, Housing and Employment, through the Regional Directorate of Youth. Applications take place in an open period on the Azores Youth Portal, available in Youth.Azores.gov.pt. They can apply for a volunteer project within the scope of young networks aged between 15 and 28 years, regardless of the level of education and the professional situation. This program includes two modalities: one “short duration” for one to five days projects, such as the requalification of a housing or the collection of stray animals, among others of a social and community nature; and another “regular” for projects for three to nine months in institutions with permanent activity, such as homes of elderly, disability support associations, among others that have as their object of action those provided for in volunteering. In “short duration” projects, young people benefit from a scholarship that can go from 21 euros to 75 euros, while in "regular" projects the monthly bag can reach 180 euros, a total of 1,620 euros, if the young man meets nine months of volunteering. With a view to the good implementation and execution of this program, the Regional Secretary of Youth, Housing and Employment appeals to the adhesion of entities, such as IPSS, non -profit associations and other, for the presentation of volunteer projects through which young people can participate and make their contribution. “If it is true that youth programs do not live without young people, it is not wrong to say that entities, associations and organizations are essential in the dynamization of these same programs for our young people,” noted Maria João Carreiro, when the presentation of Networks, in June, in the peak slabs. Also according to the holder of the Youth Folder, “with this new program, the Government of the Azores wants to affirm the importance of volunteering for personal, social and community development, through the sharing of knowledge, practices, perspectives and interventions that translate into the acquisition of skills and crucial competences in the formation of young people”.
Young Azoreans with more opportunities to participate in the construction of public youth policies
https://portal.azores.gov.pt/web/comunicacao/news-detail?id=16855157
Young Azoreans today have access to more opportunities to participate in the joint construction of public youth policies, and since 2023 have participated in auscultation forums promoted by the Azores government more than 2,000 young people from all islands in the region, Maria João Carreiro said. The regional secretary of Youth, Housing and Employment, which presided over the opening session of the “Sou! Meeting of Youth and Associative Leaders”, on Vitória Beach, Terceira Island, ensured that the Azores government “will continue to do more and more young people to participate in public life”. Among the actions and initiatives promoted by the PSD/CDS/PPM coalition highlighted by the ruler is a study on the state of civic and political participation of young Azoreans, which involved more than 1,100 young people from all islands, or the holding of two democracy seminars, which involved about 300 young people. Since 2023, six Youth Councils of the Azores have been held - the regional government consultation body in Youth; The script “Youth with Voice”, which toured each of the nine islands and involved 400 young people, or the 25.4 Democracy Forum, promoted in partnership with the National Federation of Youth Associations, in Ponta Delgada, in which about 200 young people participated. "We can only create adequate, effective and truly aligned policies with the needs and expectations of young people, if we are able to involve them in the construction of measures they can and should be recipients," he said. Among the challenges in terms of youth democratic participation is the fight against misinformation, fake news and populism, which “behave risks for the exercise of informed, plural and inclusive citizenship,” he said. In view of a joint response to this challenge, the Regional Secretariat of Youth, Housing and Employment, through the Regional Directorate of Youth, developed this year the project “is on! Inform you, debate and decide ”, co-financed by Erasmus+, Youth, Sport and CES. This project included different initiatives, among which three participatory laboratories and construction by young people of a manifesto that will be presented tomorrow at the end of the meeting with the proposal of actions to combat disinformation and will then be delivered to the region's public decision makers. “We have to be able to assume the burden and responsibility of creating synergies that involve society and the bodies of power, including social communication, formation, information, awareness and involvement of young people in the construction of a healthy society,” said Maria João Carreiro. Participating in the meeting at “Sou On! Youth and Associative Leaders Meeting”, which ends tomorrow at Vitória Beach, about a hundred young people, university professors, communication experts and participatory citizenship, political decision makers and leaders of the Azores Youth Associations. It is recalled that the plan and budget for 2025 proposed by the PSD/CDS/PPM coalition, which will be appreciated and voted next week in the Azorean Parliament, proposes a reinforcement of 10,000 euros in public investment in “participation and youth associativism”, totaling 470 thousand euros next year. The budget proposal for next year for youth ascends to 3.5 million euros, of which 1 million euros for the execution of the "returns home" integrated in the "+ Young" package to attract, retain and fix young talent on each of the archipelago islands.
Maria João Carreiro announces “digital young people” with over 10,000 euros on support for youth associations
“Young Digital-Local Digital Competency Training Workshops” is the new program of the Regional Secretariat of Youth, Housing and Employment, through the Regional Directorate of Youth, to support the creation of formative spaces operating in the headquarters of youth associations, or equivalent, announced this Wednesday, in Ribeira Grande, Maria João Carreiro.
According to the Regional Secretary of Youth, Housing and Employment, which was spoken at the opening of the II Edition of the “Associativism Talks”, which took place in the Archipelago-Contemporary Arts Center, under the day of youth associativism, the regulation of this new program will be published on Monday, May 5, in an official newspaper, followed by the publication of the orders of applications.
“Digital Young” provides two types of support that can total 10,850.00 euros per association.
Support for co -finance in 95% of the acquisition of portables, software and internet services, which can reach a total of 8,100 euros, and another support to finance the dynamization of short training units in digital skills for young people.
In the case of the latter, the support focuses on each training hour, between 40 and 50 euros, up to a maximum of 2,500.00 euros, and the expenses with computer consumables, support services, maintenance or other indispensable to perform the formations up to a maximum of 250 euros.
may benefit from “digital young people” young people aged 12 to 24, or up to 30 years of age, if they are integrated into social inclusion or reintegration projects, and the youth associations, equivalent, juvenile and others plan of activities for young schools and certified entities, are promoted.
“This program will make an important contribution to opening the headquarters of younger younger associations, which can and should find spaces there for the exercise of citizenship, socialization and learning in areas, such as digital, which are also a challenge from the point of view of good democratic experience, responsible, plural and inclusive participation”, explained Maria João Carreiro.
To stimulate the widest participation of different audiences in the activities of the associations will be created at the Youth of the Azores, available in Youth.Ozores.gov.pt, the “itinerary of associativism,” said the ruler.
Through this “itinerary” the activities of youth associations in the region will be disclosed, “which will surely contribute to greater visibility of these activities and encourage community participation in the life of associations,” he praised.
“The diversity and importance of the activities of the associations deserve to be disclosed and reach even younger. As far as us, the Government of the Azores, can count on our collaboration for this good disclosure,” said Maria João Carreiro.
The Regional Secretary also expressed the recognition of the Government of the Azores to each of the youth associations of the region by the “invaluable merits” and “strategic contribution” for community development, occupation and training of young people, volunteering, creativity and innovation, environmental awareness or for the promotion of human rights.
“Young Associativism in the Azores is alive and recommended,” he has praised, indicating that financing to juvenile association activity increased from about 83,000 euros 2019 to 150,000 euros by 2025, ie double the investment, as a result of the improvements that the PSD/CDS/PPM coalition enrolled in the associative activity incentive system.
During the “associativism talk”, and before the communication “Associativism: From Personal Conviction to Social Mission”, with Rita Saias, former president of the National Youth Council, a tribute was made to Leonardo Sousa, who recently died, with the posthumous delivery of the Diploma de Merit by “excellent contribution given to associativism on the island of promoting activities and work in the development of activities youth, civic participation and community involvement of young people ”.
followed the round table “The Associativism in Youth”, moderated by Sara Oliveira, journalist, with Hugo Medeiros, from the Portuguese Scout Association; Mariana Pedro, from the Portuguese Guides Association; José Carlos Melo, from the National Listening Body; Micaela Pimentel, from Ichtus - Youth Association of Porto Jewish; and Lisandra Silva, from AJIFA - Youth Association of Faial Island.
The “9 Circus Association” and the “Vengagirls” dance group ensured the cultural moments of a meeting that celebrated youth associativism on youth associativism.
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