Nuno Piteira Lopes | Youth International Day

As a Youth Councilor, I consider the fact that we are the European Capital of Youth a great source of pride.
There were already several European entities responsible for organizing the event, which identified Cascais as the best European Youth Capital, having surpassed all expectations, as stated by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

Those responsible for this success are, in addition to the organization, the policies, which focused on solving the problems and challenges of this age group, and the recipients of these policies, which made good ideas come out of the paper and translate into day to day, the young of the village are mainly responsible for this success. Measures and policies implemented over the years have made the village a better place for young people in society,

Without young people, being European Youth Capital this year would not be possible. And it is the young people who have given us a mature and responsible response, it is they, dynamic people who have taken the name of Cascais higher and the role of young people farther, of whom I am proud.

Volunteering is a good example of how young people have raised the name of our village. In 2018, we achieved record enrollment in our summer programs, with young people who wanted to make a difference and build a better community - in the Natural Park, on our beaches, on our streets to receive visitors, in sports clubs or in the IPSS to help those who need it most, the young volunteers show the most extraordinary part of Cascais, not to mention the young people who daily dedicate themselves to the organization and communication of everything that concerns the youth of the county.

To keep up with this frantic pace is that it has shown the only difficulty of the Cascais Chamber. This year, although we have launched more programs, with more volunteer hours, because we know that the programs are structuring in the formation of social cohesion, in mitigating differences and prejudices, there were more young volunteers than volunteer places available. Even so, this can not but be a strong sign of hope for the future not only of Cascais but also of the country.

And for this, today, on International Youth Day, we have a festival dedicated to these young volunteers from Cascais.