Our project will be based in 15-20 parishes of Barcelos, where girls and women from rural areas and from marginalized communities (Roma, immigrant background) will take part in actions that permit the development of skills, knowledge, and attitudes. By this development of competences (by organizing different workshops on self-discovery, self-value, civic issues, and European values) we will empower them to take part in civic actions for a better future of their communities and European citizens.

The project is going to take place in the 15- 20 parishes of Barcelos, considering a total of 89.

Considering the high number of parishes in Barcelos, there is a need for a “vehicle” that should promote cohesion, integration, and opportunities to girls and women from rural areas. These important elements of the society are excluded and their voice is not heard when it comes to democracy and development of the community.
At the local level, there is a need for a project that may create a bridge between young girls and women of different parishes to meet and get engage in civic actions and community development activities that may have an impact at the European and local level. At the same time, there is an emerging need, to empower these girls and women, to develop competences on the gender equality, human rights, democracy, European values, and personal development.

Our target groups in this project will be girls and women (15-18 years; 18-23 years) who live in rural areas of the municipality of Barcelos, including minorities (immigrant, Roma ethnics ) that are identified excluded and marginalized from the political and social domain and those that may not have much connection with civic issues, important elements for the development of the citizenship and society.
In order to involve different perspectives, in this project will be involved girls and women that are open and want to participate, and those that may want to have an active role and voice in the community they take part of, as well as in the community in which we are all part of, at the regional, national and European level.

Firstly, our partners, contacts, leaders of the parishes, local radio, local newspapers, recreational and cultural groups will be contacted and informed about the objectives of the project and about the profile of the needed participants. At the same, with the support of the municipality there will take place dissemination and informative actions in order to include as much as possible participants in the project.
Then, there will be created a program/intervention plan with the schedule of the workshops and civic activities. Afterward, the sessions will take place, and as methods to empower the girls and women will be used different positive psychology exercises, cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, Mindfulness and emotional intelligence practices, among others.

It is expected that we work with at least 70 girls (15-18 years old) and young women (18-23 years old) from at least 15 to 20 parishes of Barcelos municipality.
Mainly, we expected to have develop competences, such as knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the girls and young women in terms of civic identity, the participation and involvement spirit in democracy, and citizenship at the local and European levels.
The project pretend to empower these young women in order to be independent and collaborate with each other to develop civic actions, by having access to the right tools and competences.
Success for us, will be to see that these empowered and motivated women working independently, to develop future civic actions and projects.

Our project idea is to strengthen democracy and active citizenship at the local and community levels, through the empowerment of young women. The empowerment actions may prepare them to get involved in civic actions since the involvement of young women is low when compared to the young male of the same age.
Taking part in educational workshops in their own communities will promote their inclusion, equal opportunities, and implementation in active citizenship.
This form of intervention is an asset, as we know, to enhance/train personal and social competencies of each participant, that will develop greater knowledge of these in terms of their capacities, and in long terms, will promote and stimulate their involvement in citizenship and active democracy.

According to the statistics available on the involvement of Portuguese women in civic actions and in the political life of Portugal and Europe, we found out that in Portugal the men are involved in much more political and civic actions, and have more chances to get employed in comparison with women (IEFP, 2017). Also, according to the other studies, In Barcelos, it is the municipality with a higher number of victims of domestic violence (Diagnóstico Social, 2015). We find that the involvement of women should start in early ages, in order to include them as early as possible in the civic activities and perform actions that may defend their right and gender equality at the local and European level.

PERSONNEL COSTS: 30,500€
Costs with staff: 28,000€
External trainers: 1500€
Transportation costs for project staff: 1000€
OFFICE COSTS: 2500€
Office: 1000€
Materials for workshops: 1500€
COMMUNICATION: PROMOTION, SOCIAL MEDIA, OFFLINE PROMOTION: 13,500€
Design and Production: 5000€
Digital platforms, website: 2500€
Dissemination: 5000 EUR
Communication (internet, phone, post): 1000€
OTHER COSTS: 2800€
Indirect expenses: 1300€
Transportation costs for participants: 1500€

It will be important to have feedback from the members of the community on the relevance of this project. There will be appreciated, suggestions on effective methodologies that may be applied to empower girls and women from rural areas and involve them in civic actions.