Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Skip to main content
European Commission logo

YouthWiki

EACEA National Policies Platform
Portugal

Portugal

4. Social Inclusion

4.5 Initiatives promoting social inclusion and raising awareness

Last update: 28 November 2023
On this page
  1. Intercultural awareness
  2. Young people's rights
  3. Key initiatives to safeguard democracy and prevent radicalisation leading to violent extremism

Intercultural awareness

Interculturality and Migration

The High Commission for Migration (ACM, I.P.) develops several initiatives focusing on the management and enhancement of the diversity of cultures, ethnicities and religions through the promotion of intercultural and interreligious dialogue.

Network of Schools for Intercultural Education (REEI)

A network of schools committed to promoting the reception, integration and educational success of all children and young people, regardless of their cultural or national origins, and promoting a culture and practice of opening up to difference and establishing positive relations of interaction and closeness between members of the educational community and the area in which they are integrated.

 

The Network of Schools for Intercultural Education is an initiative created by ACM, I.P., in partnership with the Ministry of Education, through the Directorate-General of Education (DGE), and with the collaboration of the Aga Khan Portuguese Foundation (AKF Portugal).

 

Intercultural School Stamp

The Intercultural School Stamp is an initiative created in 2012 by the Ministry of Education, through the Directorate-General of Education (DGE), and ACM, I.P., with the collaboration of the Aga Khan Portuguese Foundation (AKF Portugal).

It consists of a certificate and a digital stamp that distinguishes schools developing projects that promote the recognition and appreciation of diversity as an opportunity and a source of learning for all. 

It is granted according to levels of certification: 

  • Level I - Initiation;
  • Level II - Intermediate;
  • Level III - Advanced.

Based on the results, each school is encouraged to develop a plan of action that will serve as a guide for improving future practices, bearing in mind the development of an intercultural dimension.

 

ACM, I.P., Training Offer

The High Commission for Migration (ACM, I.P.) provides resources and training offer to citizens, professionals and entities that, directly or indirectly, are linked to the questions of interculturality and migration. These training materials were created in the scope of the ACM’s, mission, which is based upon the promotion of a positive and enriching management of cultural diversity, through intercultural and interreligious dialogue, built on the respect for the Constitution and legislation in place, valuing cultural diversity in a frame of mutual development and respect.

Some actions/sessions target young people, while others target teachers or other education professionals:

Intercultural Education for Young People (4 hours): intended for children and young people aged between 10 and 16, preferably from the host country/society. The goal is to promote a reflexion on intercultural learning (acceptance of differences, tolerance, solidarity, sharing and cooperation, conflict mediation).

Intercultural Education at School (6 hours): intended for teachers and other professionals of the educational community. The goal is to promote a reflexion on how intercultural learning can be enhanced in the school context, discussing educational practices.

 

Schools Intercultural Kit

The Schools Intercultural Kit offers a set of materials based on the issue of interculturality. It is intended for schools, all education professionals and families. It aims to promote a reflexion about diversity, interculturality and globalisation, challenging beliefs, perceptions, skills and practices of education professionals, as well as their teaching methods and the content of school syllabuses, public policies and the culture of 'educational spaces'.

 

MEET IR

It’s an annual Interreligious Youth Encounter, which brings together a group young people from different religious communities, promoted by ACM, I.P. It is intended to recognize difference and pluralism and to reflect together on the contribution of all (young people in particular) to a better society. This activity is integrated into the Working Group for Interreligious Dialogue (WG DIR) which is composed of 14 religious communities.

 

Project "Not Just Numbers" (Não São Apenas Números) – educational toolkit 

It includes a series of tools related to migration and asylum in the European Union, available in 24 EU Member States and in 20 languages. In Portugal, it was promoted by ACM, I.P., in collaboration with the Directorate-General of Education and IOM Portugal.

It is intended for teachers and educators of young people between 12 and 18 years.

It includes:

  • Teacher´s Manual – with activities and exercises to be completed in the classroom and a DVD with exercises;
  • DVD with photos and videos.

 

Citizenship in Portugal Tour: Stop, Think, Act!

This initiative comes from the Secretary of State for Citizenship and Equality, in partnership with the Portuguese Association for Local Development (Animar), and it also involves municipalities, public administration bodies, social and solidarity economy organisations and other entities, such as the Portuguese Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted (ACAPO) or the Portuguese Federation of Deaf People Associations (FPAS), among others.

It is a tour that challenges local networks and local communities across the country to a journey of discovery, reflexion and action on citizenship and participation. From October 2016 to July 2017, an animation and communication team, as well as a van duly equipped with educational and recreational resources, supported activities proposed by local partnerships. Local communities, social and solidarity economy entities, bodies of the public sector and companies were invited to participate. The tour was designed to promote reflexion and action on still existing inequalities, discriminations and violence, inviting communities to:

  • STOP to dialogue and share information and knowledge on citizenship and equality;
  • THINK about strategies for the territorialisation of public policies, together with communities and local partnership networks;
  • ACT in favour of citizenship and equality, encouraging all social development agents and mobilising the appropriate resources in each context.

 

Young people's rights

European Day against sexual exploitation and children abuse

An event (18th November) developed by the Ministry of Justice to raise awareness against the sexual exploitation and harassment of children and young people.

 

Children and Young People Forum

The Children and Young People Forum was established in 2010, under the Commemorative Platform of the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The purpose of the forum is to develop a network, by creating a space for dialogue, exchange of ideas, knowledge and views between organisations working with children and young people.

The objective is to contribute to the defence and promotion of social, cultural, economic and civil rights of children and young people.

 

Lead Project - Inform to Prevent

It is a European project promoted by the Association for Victim Support (APAV), which counts with the collaboration of several international and national partners, in particular the Superior Institute of Labour and Business Sciences – University Institute of Lisbon and the Foundation of Youth.

The project is co-financed by the European Commission, within the scope of the Directorate-General of Justice.

The objective is to develop and to spread information about street violence, violence between peers and other forms of violence against children and young people, through several resources in its website:

And in advertising campaigns:

 

Commemoration of the International Anti-Bullying Day

A preventive, informative and formative initiative about bullying held, on 20 October, promoted by APAV.

 

Dating with Fair Play ("Namorar com Fair Play")

A programme created by the Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth, PI (IPDJ, I.P.), to prevent dating violence. Its purpose is the establishment of a Local Group of Animators (BLA) comprised of volunteers of both sexes, between the ages of 16 and 30.

A number of projects will be introduced in schools, higher education institutions, city councils and/or other partner entities.

It falls under the National Plan to Prevent and Combat Domestic and Gender-based Violence (2014-2017), in the field of ​​prevention, awareness and education.

 

The National Commission of Promotion of Children and Young People's Rights and Protection (CNPDPCJ)

In the scope of an application to the National Regional Strategic Framework (NSRF) and to the Operational Programme of Technical Assistance (POAT), the CNPDPCJ developed Guidelines on how to address cases of violence or other situations of danger, developed under an established protocol between the CNPDPCJ, the Institute of Social Security, PI, and the Generalitat Valenciana, Ministry of Social Welfare.

  • Guidelines for social action professionals;
  • Guidelines for education professionals;
  • Guidelines for security forces professionals;
  • Guidelines for health professionals.

 

National Strategy for Equality and Non-Discrimination

This Strategy includes measures intended for young people:

In strategic area 2 of the Plan (Promotion of Equality between Women and Men in Public Policies), we can emphasise the following measures and actions within the education, science and culture context:

  • Under the scope of measure 14 (Producing pedagogical materials in all kinds of supports, promoting gender equality and citizenship), an Educational Guide for Gender and Citizenship was created, targeting secondary school levels, and a working group to create an Educational Referential for Gender Equality was formed;
  • Under the scope of measure 15 (Promoting the dissemination and implementation of pedagogical materials produced), training actions certified by the Scientific and Pedagogical Council of Continuing Education were funded, targeting education professionals, from preschool to secondary education; training workshops organised by the Directorate-General of Education were held; and the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG) published the Guidebook for Early Childhood Education and the Guidebook for Basic and Secondary Education.

The Guidelines on Gender and Citizenship Education, published by the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG) and validated by Directorate-General of Education (DGE), are referred by the Council of Europe in the ‘Compilation of good practices to promote an education free from gender stereotypes and identifying ways to implement the measures which are included in the Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation on gender mainstreaming in education’.

 

The following measures and actions are also noteworthy:

Measure 27 – Promoting educational sessions for raising awareness on gender equality and non-discrimination, intended for young people

Activities for raising awareness on gender equality and non-discrimination were created, aimed at young people, for example:

  • Activities for raising awareness on gender identities and deconstruction of stereotypes (for the younger ones), under the Gender Equality Meetings project, by UMAR, targeting schools with different levels of education, from kindergarten to the 12th grade;
  • Activities for raising awareness, under the scope of the #ON_Sex – Sexual Rights and Vulnerable Young People project, developed by the Family Planning Association (APF).

Measure 50 – Raising the population's awareness for non-discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity

Under the Artways project, UMAR and ILGA Portugal held three activities in schools to raise young people's awareness for non-discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Measure 51 – Conduct awareness campaigns against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity

In 2015, CIG launched the second national campaign against homophobia and transphobia – Do not close the door on them (Não lhes feche a porta).

The aim is to raise the general population's awareness, and particularly the families, to the violence that affects young people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

 

Key initiatives to safeguard democracy and prevent radicalisation leading to violent extremism

Online and offline No Hate Speech Youth Campaign

An online campaign incorporated in the No Hate Speech Movement – Youth for Human Rights, in the scope of a Council of Europe initiative, initiated in 2012. The objective is to combat online hate speech and discrimination, in particular every way of expression that spreads, instigates, promotes or justifies racial hatred, xenophobia, homophobia, antisemitism and other forms of hatred based on intolerance.

The implementation, strategy and activities of the campaign at a national level are coordinated by the Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth, PI (IPDJ, I.P.), in collaboration with other organisations and youth associations.

It is intended for young people and the general population and it includes several online and offline initiatives, including:

  • Sessions for raising awareness at a regional level;
  • Thematic seminars;
  • Participation in the European action day.

 

Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism

Since 2015, Portugal has a National Strategy for Combating Terrorism, in response to the guidelines of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of the Council of Europe, of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and of the constitutional principles of the Portuguese State, regarding the policy of combating terrorism in the European Union.

The commitment to combat terrorism in all of its manifestations relies on five strategic objectives:

  • Detection;
  • Prevention;
  • Protection;
  • Pursuit;
  • Answer.

Regarding the strategic goal – Prevention, the priority is to develop a critical sense among young people, involving the sectors of education, training and youth work, and stimulating a pedagogical orientation towards citizenship education.

 

Finally, the National Strategy on Citizenship Education conceived by the Government aims to meet the need of citizens' training development, in order to prevent phenomena with a negative impact on society in general, with high costs for the country's development and progress. Citizenship, in its broader conception, includes a series of rights and duties that should be transmitted in the training of Portuguese children and young people, enabling them to be adults with a civic behaviour, favouring equality in interpersonal relations, the integration of difference, the respect for human rights and the appreciation of values and concepts concerning national citizenship. This Strategy started to be implemented in the school year of 2017/2018, in public schools, with the goal of including a series of skills and knowledge concerning citizenship in the curricula of all levels of education.