The neighborhood of Chelas is one of the most multicultural areas of Lisbon. Although there are lot of differencies between the communities, they are sharing one common struggle and that is the enviromnent polution specially with plastic,coming mainly from the biggest open-air market in Portugal, that is held every Sunday in the neighborhood. The aim of the project is to connect the community, trying to reduce the pollution and by activities give opportunity to improve the living conditions.

In Lisbon(Portugal) in the district of Marvila- in the neighborhood of Chelas.

Disconnected cultural groups in the neighborhood, that are co-existing next to each other, but aren´t creating deeper connections and tempt to less co-working.
Enviromental pollution is mainly caused by the plastic bags and other trash from the market. There is also lack of containers for separated garbage.
Financial and social problems of the families living in Chelas including hunger, domestic violence, drug abusing etc.
Struggles of young people from the area- they are the ones most affected by the problems of the families. Hunger, poverty, lack of access to freetime activities, lack of self-confidence, reaching lower education level etc.

The project should positiviely affect the whole community of Chelas. But we aim to concentrate specially on:
Children and young people-children from the neighborhood from all cultural groups are going to the same elementary school. The idea is to bring them together and through workshops of recreating eco-dresses from trash teach them coworking, build bonds between them and give them the oportunuty to experience that by coworking they can achieve changes. The children can bring ideas into their families and that can impact the future in the community.
Families with lower income- we would like to create workshops for adults too, through which they could gain new skills that could help them save financies in the family or even increase the income.

Workshops of „creating recyclated dresses“- for children done directly at the elementary school, through which we can explain the problem of enviromental pollution, motivating them to recyclate and reusing things. Apart giving them oportunity to spend their free-time, we want to offer them some food too to help them.
Contacting the other NGOs in the district
Contacting the responsable poeple from the market making a plan how we could collect the trash materials after the markets. Also starting buy fruits/ local foods from them, in this way we can support them but also use the food during the workshops with children or adults.
Workshops for adults
Cooking workshops- to cook nutricious, cheap meals using the shopped food till maximum to reduce garbage but also saving money.
Sewing workshops- learning how to fix damaged clothes.
Financial saving, zerowaste and other workshosps.
Collecting organic waste and give the hummus for free to the community of agricultures in this way connecting this cultural group as-well.
3 community events: to introduce the project and the progress, creating a debate space with local municipality and community members, catwalks- where young people could show the created eco-dresses that they have created during the workshops and entertaining part so people could celebrate together their achievment.

Better coworking between different group members and created communication bridges between them
Increased civic engagement and local activism
Reduced garbage in the area
Raised level of knowledge about environment pollution and possible solutions among the community members
Families gaining skills to reduce garbage and saving money
Youth having a free time activity within which they can gain a new creative skill, and make friendships with other children from different part of the neighborhood. By this creating a new generation that will be more open-minded and willing to cowork and be active in community in the future.
Giving opportunity to all members of the community to they can express themselves for example through radio- and be active in the problem solving

To achieve the goals of the project is necessery that community members will be involved actively. By reducing some of the problems of the neighborhood through this project, can encourage the community members to try to solve other problems actively in the future. The solutions will be implemented throughout the year, according to the ideas of the people who will particpate. We are offering them the space of the RadioZIP to they can express themeselves. Through community events we want to encourage them to meet and debate. By involving the local municipality we are building communication bridges between the community members and politicians.Through our international partner e.p.a- we want to dessiminate the good practice results- so other cities and communities could get inspirated by it.

My mum came to Portugal during the civil war in Angola. First she lived in Barracas- illegal wooden hauses, later she and other poorest families were offered to live in social flats in Chelas. After moving here,my mum with other active people from the neighborhood started some activities so their children can have an opportunity to grow up in cleaner and safer area.My mother works in the local elementary school and I was growing up here as a child. Our motivation is that we have experienced the possibility of the transformation and we want to continously develop the community and provide better life condition here for the children and all people becouse we are one of them.The team consist local young people from the neighborhood that we are supporting by invoving them to our projects.

Personal costs-21500
Material-5000
Office expensenses-1500
Food for workshops-2000

If some other partners have been doing similar project then ours- we would like to hear about them and how successfull they have been, or if they had any experience or lesson learned that they could share with us, to we maybe not repeat same mistake.