Porto shoulders the creation of information cloud for youth

The aim is to entice Portuguese youth to get more involved in public life

The Municipality of Porto has funded the creation of the so-called Youth Cloud – an online platform, which gathers a variety of ways that young people can get involved in public life. The project aims to introduce the new generations to the concepts of civic, volunteering and political spheres and the ways one can get involved in any of these.

The result can only be a win-win for society, as young people can learn new skills and how to be empowered and their communities can gain new pro-active leaders interested in solving the challenges of the day.

Promoting youth citizenship

On Youth Cloud one can find information and documents related to youth policies in Portugal, youth and associative projects and good practices. The web platform seeks to contribute new methodologies and innovative tools to encourage civic participation among Portuguese young people.

The digital space concentrates all events, initiatives, forums, training and volunteering and mobility opportunities aimed at young generations. It, thus, servers as a repository of more than a thousand youth associations in Portugal.

“We are always pleased when we are presented with answers that make sense, and this, in particular, is in fact an innovative networking space for youth associations and young people to create new partnerships and synergies”, commented Catarina Araújo, Porto’s Health, Youth and Sport Councillor, who attended the presentation of the platform.

Youth Cloud was presented in a session that took place at the National Federation of Youth Associations (FNAJ) branch in Porto. The session included a moment of discussion and reflection on participation 3.0 and youth citizenship in the 21st century, called the Youth Power Talk.

Speakers from different contexts and realities shared their experiences, perspectives and ideas on the involvement of youth in the society, the new types of youth participation and their barriers.