The event, which has become one of the most significant moments in the municipality's social agenda, took place on an animated and diverse afternoon, combining moments of joy with reflections on inclusion and aging. Several interventions highlighted the excessive value society places on appearance over individual experiences, criticizing the tendency to evaluate people by their looks rather than their true selves.
Sentiments such as empathy, love, unity, and tolerance marked the afternoon, which was attended by Councillor Fátima Moreira, responsible for Equality, Inclusion, and Migrations. On behalf of the council, she emphasized that "inclusion is built every day, through small gestures of respect, empathy, and solidarity. Every person has a story, a value, and a place in our community, regardless of age, differences, or limitations."
The councillor further added that "this Coffee Concert is also a way to recognize and thank the extraordinary work of our institutions, which daily contribute to a more humane, closer community where no one should be left behind." A particularly impactful message about the harsh reality faced by the elderly was also highlighted.
The program featured performances by various entities, including inclusive dances by the Casa de Trabalho de Fontarcada and Assis, a theater and dance presentation by the Agrupamento de Escolas Gonçalo Sampaio titled "Music beats to the rhythm of all hearts," and traditional songs accompanied by accordion by the Associação de Apoio aos Deficientes Visuais do Distrito de Braga.
The Santa Casa da Misericórdia da Póvoa de Lanhoso presented a video and read the poem "Equality, a right for all." This was followed by a multidisciplinary performance by EPAVE, "Different in essence, equal in value, united in respect!", which combined theater, dance, body expression, narration, and music. The Agrupamento de Escolas da Póvoa de Lanhoso presented the movement poem "The place that exists between us."
Performances continued with theatrical monologues by the Associação Em Diálogo under the theme "The mirror does not see age," and returns from the Casa de Trabalho with the dance "Caretos by Casa de Trabalho" and the Agrupamento Gonçalo Sampaio with "Urgently: the poetry of inclusion." The artistic moment "Assis thriller" concluded the afternoon's performances.
Before the closing, Certificates of Participation were awarded to representatives of the involved entities, celebrating the community's commitment to equality.
