Socio-Community Development - Mobilising all relevant bodies and promoting the participation of people suffering exclusion

Host Country : Portugal

Place and date : Monsaraz and Lisbon , 12. - 13.9.2005

Peer countries : Cyprus - Denmark - France - Hungary - Ireland - Italy - Malta - Sweden

Mobilising all relevant bodies and promoting the participation of people suffering exclusion

The "Social Development" measure is part of Portugal's Operational Programme for Employment, Training and Social Development (OPETDS), which implements aspects of the European Employment Strategy and the National Employment Plan. It is also an essential instrument for implementing the National Action Plan for Inclusion and the Regional Development Programme (RDP). It represents a key strategy in the social area to create a network of facilities to support socially disadvantaged groups, thus promoting an effective equal opportunity strategy. It also co-operates with the human resources policy of the Social European Fund.

The "Socio-community development" measure is part of the "Social Development" measure. It is being implemented in the whole of Portugal except in the Azores, Madeira and the Lisbon region, and is targeted at between 200,000 and 300,000 people (2002-2007). Its central goal is to enhance community development, particularly in depressed areas, on the basis of locally based social development initiatives. It is being implemented on the basis of project proposals developed at the community level and/or by NGOs (bottom-up approach). The proposals should be in line with the global objectives of promoting social development, and are prepared with the use of a standard Referential Matrix. Both small and larger, more global funding proposals can be made. Applications are reviewed by the technical staff of the OPETDS and funding is approved on the basis of a number of selection criteria, e.g. being an integrated project, the development of partnership networks, promoting joint responsibility and participation, and creating conditions for sustainability of the intervention. If approved, the proposal is in principal fully funded.

The measure includes three model actions:

Promotion of participation and community action. These actions are aimed at communities in run-down urban and suburban areas and impoverished rural areas, especially those where factors of social exclusion prevail;
Enhancing personal and social skills. This action is targeted at young people aged 15 and over and adults of working age with particular weaknesses in access to the job market; and
Training and qualification of community development workers.

Project proposals can follow one of the model actions or can combine them. Evaluation undertaken in 2002 showed that 76% combined to two or three actions. The population involved is nearly 60% female, and 80% of the beneficiaries are of working age. A case study-based qualitative evaluation, which was to some extent combined with a quantitative analysis, was carried out in 2004. The results are accessible on the website www.poefds.pt.

Agenda - | en |

Peer Review manager

Ms Thea Meinema ( NIZW )

Document Actions

Socio-Community Development - Mobilising all relevant bodies and promoting the participation of people suffering exclusion

Host Country : Portugal

Place and date : Monsaraz and Lisbon , 12. - 13.9.2005

Peer countries : Cyprus - Denmark - France - Hungary - Ireland - Italy - Malta - Sweden

Peer Review manager

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