Time doesn’t stop, and change doesn’t happen on its own!

Another year where we have promoted active and participatory citizenship among young people, staying true to Agora Aveiro’s social mission - with the boldness, creativity, and relentless drive to spark change that defines us. Not just in Aveiro, but across various parts of Europe, we’ve harnessed the power of volunteering and non-formal education to create unique learning opportunities and make a real impact on young people’s lives.

Summarising a year filled with events, new ideas, new members, and countless goodbyes in a single piece of news is no easy feat, but here at Agora Aveiro, we don’t settle for less!

Through the MIL Green project, in collaboration with DOMAS and the Learning Library, we delved into the relationship between young people, media literacy, and sustainability. In addition to various training sessions and conferences, we created a toolkit for trainers, educators, and youth workers to enhance their arsenal in combating misinformation and the lack of media literacy among young people. And that’s not all - this project is far from over! Soon, we’ll be launching an e-learning course for young people!

On the streets of Aveiro and its neighbourhoods, CleanUp Aveiro exceeded all expectations, bringing together over 890 participants in a movement that resulted in collecting more than 550 kg of waste and over 137,000 cigarette butts. This project, closely engaging with Aveiro’s schools, also included awareness campaigns for young people and children about the consequences of improper waste disposal.

And speaking of schools, we can’t forget about the DOCC project, led by our friends at Ungdomsfronten! In Aveiro alone, we’ve involved over 100 young people in debate and deliberation activities, learning from the best techniques of Hrvatsko Debatno Društvo how to amplify young voices and promote critical thinking.

And what about our furry friends? This year, Projeto Au-Au went straight to schools and children, collecting around 500 kg of food and other essentials to support local animal shelters.

Writing so much is making us hungry! The EATWISE and Cooking for Solidarity projects brought us to the table with international cuisine as a tool for the social inclusion of Aveiro’s immigrants. Food, as many say, is a language without barriers!

At the heart of Aveiro’s neighbourhood life, the new Ruas de Intervenção Artística project gathered 10 local artists to showcase their work in 10 establishments in the Beira-Mar district, an initiative aimed at promoting local businesses and artists. Also central to Aveiro’s life, our general knowledge quiz Are You Brain Enough? returned to liven up the nights of 160 participants, with plenty of prizes in the mix!

Our partnership with INAT CENTAR and HUKI was strengthened through the creation of a toolkit for youth workers to help young people with fewer opportunities find their dream jobs—soon to be launched at the beginning of next year!

The year wouldn’t have been complete without another edition of Plantar o Futuro, which this year brought together over 700 participants motivated to promote native forests and join us for reforestation actions scheduled for February and March of next year. The fires that struck the Aveiro region in September remind us of the importance of protecting our native forests.

Protecting also means raising awareness, and the Guardiões da Natureza aim to do just that with the youngest. This year, we engaged over 300 young participants in environmental awareness activities. On the other side of the age spectrum, our Jogos Sem Idade involved over 100 children and seniors in recreational activities to promote well-being and intergenerational connection.

Aveiro also became a second home for four incredible volunteers who stepped out of their comfort zones and participated in our long-term volunteering project with Casa Vera Cruz.

We also celebrated various dates in creative and disruptive ways, from Valentine’s Day with Amar em Prosa to Mental Health Day with Reflexos Intrusivos! We let the clutter from our homes loose on Halloween with Monos & Companhia to highlight the issue of improper disposal of bulky waste and the negative consequences of these "monsters" in our streets.

Of course, we couldn’t ignore the 50th anniversary of April 25th, and we chose to give a voice to the great women who challenged the paradigms of their time and fought for their rights with Histórias Cravadas. We gave a platform to these voices, who shared their stories with us, and we immortalised them in a video that is sure to leave an impact. Furthermore, at the start of 2025, you can expect a booklet gathering all the stories of these extraordinary individuals.

Rights belong to everyone, and there is still much work to be done to make our cities more inclusive. Our training course IncluCities, an Erasmus+ initiative hosted in Aveiro, seeks to challenge how we can design more inclusive cities. This training brought together 27 youth workers from across Europe for 10 days, promoting inclusion, equality, and solidarity.

Beyond Europe, we guided 10 Portuguese youngsters on their long-term volunteering adventures through the European Solidarity Corps in Belgium, France, Iceland, Germany, and several other countries. In the Azores, we inspired 15-year-old students from São Jorge Island to explore international volunteering opportunities and organised activities that highlighted the importance of dedicating ourselves to the causes we believe in.

Another year where we’ve left our mark. On the volunteers, the community, the streets of Aveiro, the native forest, and even on our iconic I Love Aveiro staircase, which received a fresh coat of paint this year—just like someone who grows and transforms but never forgets who they were or what they’ve accomplished.

Another year has passed, and we’ll be here for the next. A heartfelt thank you to our volunteers, project managers, partners, supporters, participants, our city of Aveiro that unites us, and everyone who carries our mission like a flag, allowing us to do what we do today, learn from it, and improve for tomorrow.

Thank you for being part of Agora Aveiro’s journey.

To make change happen, we must make it happen—together.