1.3.6 CSA in Action: Lordelo do Ouro, Portugal

Results and follow up for CSA The stakeholders that signed the CSA and participated in different roles and functions of the CSA in action concluded that piloting phase was an excellent opportunity for all the actors involved. Moreover, the work placement providers underlined the motivation, dedication and enthusiasm shown by the students, to re-state their high potential for future development. The Principals of the schools involved considered the CSA in action as an excellent opportunity for both personal and professional development of the students involved and they expressed their wishes to see it extended and offered to a larger number of pupils. Parents were very pleased of the experience, because they could feel it had a long term impact in the personal and professional development of their children. The coordination partners also underlined the usefulness of such a governance model and piloting experience and the necessity to find a way to make it work within a wider context. One possibility that they have foreseen to make sustainable both the governance model and the piloting phase is to work it through the Widening Participation Academy, at Queen’s University Belfast.

1.3.6 CSA in Action: Lordelo do Ouro, Portugal

The territory

In Portugal, the piloting phase has been realised in the District of Porto Freguesia (Parish) of Lordelo do Ouro, which has a surface of 3,4 Km2 and a population of 22.212 inhabitants.4,4% of the population living in Lordelo do Ouro are of foreign origin. The unemployment rate in that area was estimated at 10,4%. Most of the population (77,5%) work in the tertiary sector. People living in Lordelo do Ouro suffer from a territorial stigmatization and consequent discrimination in their life and in the labour market. In the needs analysis it was pointed out by various stakeholders that it is necessary to dismantle both the negative image of the Lordelo do Ouro inhabitants in the whole District of Porto and also the negative self-image of unemployed people.

The beneficiaries

The needs analysis was carried out in a participatory way and the motivated and interested Lordelo do Ouro inhabitants were involved. The conclusions of the needs analysis led the CSA partnership to identify the beneficiaries to the CSA in Action, their needs and their individual plans. There have been seven beneficiaries (four men and three women):  One adult woman (47 years old, long term unemployed) who wanted to create her own business (she wanted to create a co-operative association) to support elderly people. The CSA had the role of supporting her in setting this up; articulated with professional training she developed and created the cooperative association.

One young woman (23 years old) looking for her first job. The CSA had the role of supporting her while integrating her into a first job through the internship programme promoted by the state. One young woman (24 years old) looking for professional training at secondary education level, even though she had already a secondary level degree (which the existing measures didn’t allow). The CSA had the role of supporting her in searching for alternative training, finding relevant funding, integrating some support in connection with the training she had already developed. One young man (20 years old) not in education, employment or training. The CSA had the role of engaging him in one local youth association, through an initiative developed in the territory for young people with less opportunities, empowering him and involving him in a learning mobility such as the Youth in Action Programme, namely through a European project on that subject. One adult woman (46 years old) looking for professional re-training. The CSA had the role of supporting her in changing her profession to geriatric support, integrating her into the professional re-training programme provided by the state and supporting her in finding job opportunities. One adult man (46 years old) with competences in furniture restoration, aiming to develop his own business. The CSA supported him to find information on services for commerce entrepreneurship. One adult man (42 years old) who runs a business. The CSA supported him and tried to ensure a sustainable management of the business (including human resources) considering the socio-economic crisis situation in Portugal. This process implied that the beneficiary was involved in a mentorship programme existing in the territory.

The piloting phase

Before starting the piloting phase in which the individual plans were implemented, the core partners of the project activated a participative-based action research in order to define with local inhabitants the needs of the territory and also the meaning of a participatory Governance model. The actions undertaken to realise the needs analysis, setting up the basis for the piloting phase, were the following:  A comprehensive characterization of the territory, including a participatory diagnosis, where the citizens complemented the statistical information and identified the stakeholders who should be involved in the CSA.  Four different type of needs analysis collection (questionnaire to local restaurants, inquiries to local banks, interviews with success cases, a focus group with residents and a focus group with local agents).  a participatory needs analysis conclusion, from which the beneficiaries and their plans were defined.

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the piloting phase was structured on the basis of the beneficiaries’ needs and expectations. Seven different individual plans were elaborated in order to guarantee their access or re-integration in the labour market. For each plan of action, the CSA decided to activate different stakeholders

in different roles and capacities in order to support the personal and professional development of the beneficiaries in the most efficient way.

The stakeholders and their role in the CSA in action

The CO.RE partners of the project were Inducar, Junta de Freguesia de Lordelo do Ouro, ADILO and INSPIRE. This partnership activated a participatory process from the beginning of the project in order to define both the Governance model and consequent CSA and related CSA in action. For that reason, different consultation moments with private and public bodies and with local inhabitants were set up. The stakeholders that were more active in the CSA in Action, which was implemented on individual basis, depending on the needs of individual beneficiaries, were:  ADILO which has as its main goal the promotion of projects in the area of community development and supporting the vulnerable population of Lordelo do Ouro. The main activities are: social support and services, employment and training services, citizenship promotion and so on.  INDUCAR who’s main goal is to promote active citizenship and democracy, using non-formal education principles.  Employment and Professional Training Institute, which has the main goal of promoting employment and deliver employment and training services.  CASES – Portuguese Umbrella Organisation for Cooperative Associations which provides consultancy and services to all those want to set up a cooperative.  National Women Entrepreneurs Association and the National Young Entrepreneurs Association, which support new entrepreneurs to set their own enterprise as well as supporting their management and sustainability.  Auto-Financed Communities Association whose main goal is to support and fund initiatives and projects.  AGIL is the newest and only youth association in Lordelo do Ouro. It develops a set of cultural and citizenship promotion activities with children and young people in the territory.

All these actors, in cooperation with local inhabitants involved in the needs analysis and other organisations and companies interviewed, worked complementarily in order to realise the individual plan of action of the seven beneficiaries.

Results and Follow up

Results and follow up for beneficiaries The beneficiaries of the CSA in Action could be involved from the beginning of the CO.RE project in whole actions: they learnt how participatory processes work. As result of the piloting phase, they could benefit from individualised plans and individualised support for their personal and professional development and insertion in the labour market.