The Municipality of Lagoa organized, on October 23rd, at the former Convento de São José, the Sunset Jovem. This initiative, dedicated to youth participation, served to present the results of the 2025/2026 Action Plan execution and collect contributions for the future Youth Festival.
The event is part of the municipal strategy to value youth, recognizing young people as essential agents in the municipality's development and promoting their active participation in defining policies and activities directed at them.
Luís Encarnação, Mayor of Lagoa, emphasized the importance of listening to young people and creating conditions for their participation: “youth must be understood not only as recipients of municipal policies but as active participants in building the municipality's future. We want to hear our young people, know their ideas and expectations, and above all, create conditions for them to participate and contribute to decisions concerning their generation. It is through dialogue, proximity, and participation that we can build more tailored responses and a municipality with more opportunities for all”.
The Strategic Municipal Youth Plan of Lagoa was developed through consultation with the school, associative, sports, and cultural community, resulting in strategic objectives and intervention priorities.
During the Sunset Jovem, a focus group was held to prepare the Youth Festival, addressing areas such as sustainability, entertainment, volunteering, and the «Imagina» area, which encouraged young people to propose creative ideas for the event.
The goal is for the next Youth Festival to be more participatory, inclusive, supportive, and environmentally responsible, with the involvement of young people in its conception and organization.
The meeting was attended by the councilor for Youth, Ana Martins, the regional director of the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ), and representatives from the Dypall Network.
The Municipal Chamber of Lagoa thus reaffirms its commitment to a youth policy based on proximity, inclusion, and active participation.
