Associação de Jovens Voluntários de Gaeiras

Jovens Voluntários de Gaeiras Organization was founded in 2012 with the purpose of developing a dialectical relationship between youth and the territories they inhabit. We believe in a strongly committed youth in the development of their place(s), helping the local community to edify a sense of belonging and mutual social awareness. Our organization promotes the empowerment of youth on a local, underdeveloped territory, offering tools for them to become social entrepreneurs and/or widely expand the local knowledge, determining a more informed and European aware youth community. Moreover, we are integrated in a local community, whose economical tissue is based mostly on agriculture and primary economic sectors, and we are working to create solid bridges between people of very different ages so that ancient knowledge do not disappear and turns out to be a tool of innovative business empowerment. We are a non profit, non governmental organization who put focus in the possible relationship between a small local community and a more wide and global social and economic world. We promote voluntary service among local youth as a tool to promote integration, European awareness, comprehension of social development mechanisms within small communities and stimulation of a new comprehension of endogenous products, powered by new digital, design capabilities and community development. We work mainly with young people between 13 and 30 years old, and promote connections with older people of our village and the municipal territory. We promote around 10 relevant activities each year such as: Folk music and local traditions festival ; Soup Festival (to earn money for equipment for disabled people); Participation in Óbidos Medieval Fair; Traditional festivities with an attendance of around 20.000 people each year; Inter-generational activities to create connections and strong links between past and future; Cultural moments - Small music concerts, exhibitions and cinema; Regional football tournament ; Cooperation with local schools on social relevant activities, etc. More recently, in 4th April 2015, the organization has integrated the netowork of Unesco’s Clubs and it is the Unesco Club for the development of youth in local communities.