Support to Young Volunteers

Youth Volunteering Programmes - Portuguese legislation provides several mechanisms (https://ipdj.gov.pt/voluntariado) that minimise potential obstacles to participation in volunteering.

Participation is open to all young people, regardless of nationality or residence status. Key provisions include:

• Reimbursement of participation expenses (transport and food).
• Protection in case of accidents or damage caused to third parties.
• The obligation for the promoting entity to train volunteers for their tasks.

In youth volunteering, these mechanisms are applied alongside selection criteria to ensure that volunteering is accessible to as many young people as possible and that projects are distributed locally to avoid concentration in urban areas.

To evaluate the effectiveness of these mechanisms in promoting social inclusion, entities proposing youth volunteering projects under IPDJ-managed programmes must indicate the percentage of volunteers expected to come from disadvantaged socio-economic and cultural backgrounds at the time of application. They must also report whether they achieved this participation percentage. These data help assess participation trends and define a volunteer profile.

Community building

The Choices Programme (Programa Escolhas): this nationwide programme aims to integrate and socially include children and young people from vulnerable socio-economic backgrounds. It currently supports 118 projects across Portugal, including Madeira and the Azores, many of which involve volunteering activities.

These activities fall under the programme's second strategic area, focusing on community engagement and citizenship. The goal is to raise awareness among children and young people about civic rights and duties, and to encourage both formal and informal citizen participation, impacting interpersonal and intercultural relationships.

According to the programme's regulations, which emphasise participation and empowerment, volunteering activities aim to directly involve children and young people in community actions. This promotes continuous learning, empowerment, and co-responsibility, contributing to the development of essential personal and social skills.

Many of the 118 projects funded under the 9^th Generation of the Choices Programme, running from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2026, include community activities related to volunteering. These range from localised efforts like cleaning and renovating spaces, to broader initiatives such as environmental actions, food and clothing collection campaigns, support for the elderly, peer tutoring, and organising community events.

In the context of the Choices Programme, volunteering is a significant tool in promoting the inclusion of children and young people from vulnerable backgrounds. Combined with other activities, it plays a crucial role in their development and helps build their personal, social, and citizenship skills.