The Penafiel Municipal Chamber unveiled its Municipal Youth Strategy for the 2026–2029 period on Friday, October 2nd. This plan was formulated through a consultation process involving 255 young people, aged 6 to 35, from various parts of the municipality.
The strategy identifies the key challenges and expectations of Penafiel's youth, setting priorities for the coming years. These focus on crucial areas such as mobility, housing, employment and professional qualification, mental health, culture and leisure, civic participation, and access to opportunities.
"This Strategy stems from the desire to listen to young people and transform their input into concrete responses. The involvement of 255 participants has allowed us to better understand different realities and identify priorities that should guide municipal action in the coming years," stated Pedro Cepeda, President of the Penafiel Municipal Chamber. He added, "We want Penafiel to be a territory where young people find conditions to study, work, develop their projects, and build their future. The launch of this Strategy marks the beginning of a new cycle of participation."
For the 2026–2029 period, the strategy includes the introduction of new initiatives and the reinforcement of existing municipal programs. Notable among these are the Youth Participatory Budget, the Youth Council 2.0, LAB Jovem, programs like + Youth Mobility and + Youth Housing, Active Citizenship, and the Penafiel Jovem Platform.
Henrique Martins, the Youth Councillor for the Penafiel Municipal Chamber, explained: "We are now moving from a diagnosis built with young people to a concrete action plan, with measures designed to address different challenges. We have a diverse youth population, and we want municipal responses to reflect this diversity, creating more opportunities for participation, mobility, housing access, and project development."
The Penafiel Jovem Platform will serve as a central hub for accessing opportunities, initiatives, and relevant information for young people. The strategy incorporates mechanisms for continuous monitoring and evaluation to ensure the effective implementation of measures and to adapt responses to identified needs.
Civic participation is a core pillar, aiming to bring young people closer to community life and municipal decision-making, valuing participation models with direct local impact.
The launch event featured the presentation of the consultation findings and the Action Plan. This was followed by a roundtable discussion titled “Future, Possibilities, and Talent in Penafiel,” which brought together various perspectives on the opportunities available for young people in the municipality.
Through this Strategy, the Municipality of Penafiel reinforces its vision of becoming a youth-friendly territory, recognizing young people as active participants in shaping the municipality's future. The launch signifies the commencement of its implementation and a new phase of youth engagement in building Penafiel's future.
