The +Voz – Envelhecer com Dignidade project aimed to give a voice to the elderly population of the municipality of Ribeira Grande in diagnosing and responding to their challenges, encouraging public debate about their needs, and promoting measures.
Problems and Purpose
The +Voz: Envelhecer com Dignidade (+Voice: Aging with Dignity) project emerged from the need to empower and improve the quality of life of elderly people in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, São Miguel Island, Azores. As a vulnerable population, they are affected by multiple problems, such as social invisibility, exclusion, and reduced capacity to influence decision-making processes. Thus, the project arises as an instrument to strengthen the participation, representation, and recognition of this age group. The project also aimed to prevent and respond to situations that could affect the safety and health of elderly people.
Background History and Context
The phenomenon of aging constitutes one of the great challenges of the 21st century, requiring the implementation of network strategies for the recognition, visibility, expression, and participation of older people in society. The municipality of Ribeira Grande has 14 parishes and, in 2023, had a resident population of 32,280 individuals, of whom 11.8% were 65 years of age or older.
The +Voz: Envelhecer com Dignidade emerges in this context, with the main objective of creating the first Senior Municipal Council in the Autonomous Region of the Azores. It is implemented by Novo Dia - Association for Social Inclusion, through CIPA - Information, Promotion and Monitoring Center for Equality Policies, in partnership with the Ribeira Grande City Council.
Novo Dia is an institution with a long history in the development and implementation of initiatives to combat extreme situations of social exclusion. In turn, CIPA, one of its functions, has the mission of promoting the principle of equal opportunities, defending human rights, gender equality, and the full exercise of citizenship, developing mechanisms for preventing and combating all forms of discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion, belief, disability, age, sexual orientation, or social condition, as well as domestic and gender-based violence. As part of its activities, CIPA-Novo Dia has been organizing information and awareness sessions aimed at diverse audiences, contributing to more inclusive, participatory, and socially cohesive communities.
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
The +Voz: Envelhecer com Dignidade project is funded under the Cidadãos Activ@s program, within the framework of the european economic area financial mechanism (EEA GRANTS) managed by the consortium of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Bissaya Barreto Foundation. The project is implemented by Novo Dia – Association for Social Inclusion, through CIPA – Information, Promotion and Monitoring Center for Equality Policies and developed in partnership with the Ribeira Grande City Council.
Participant Recruitment and Selection
Participation in the project is intended for people aged 65 or older residing in the municipality of Ribeira Grande. Recruitment is done through registration for the Senior Centers, which is always open, voluntary, and free of charge.
Methods and Tools Used
As mentioned earlier, the main objective of the +Voz: Envelhecer com Dignidade was to create a Senior Municipal Council, the first of its kind in the entire region. This Council would include representatives elected from Senior Centers, autonomous working groups in each of the municipality's 14 parishes. These groups met monthly and were spaces where older people debated and formulated proposals to improve their living conditions.
The project's implementation was based on an integrated set of participatory and formative methods, namely: project presentation sessions; community mobilization and participant recruitment; awareness campaigns, gatherings, roundtables and online sessions; intergenerational activities; training workshops; and a traveling exhibition and a seminar.
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
The project mobilized around 200 elderly people in the 14 Senior Centers, where they had the opportunity to address issues relevant to their well-being. A wide range of activities were carried out in these structures:
- Presentation of the +Voz Project in the 14 parishes of the municipality: Calhetas, Conceição, Fenais da Ajuda, Lomba da Maia, Lomba de São Pedro, Maia, Matriz, Porto Formoso, Pico da Pedra, Rabo de Peixe, Ribeira Seca, Ribeirinha, Santa Bárbara and São Brás;
- Registration, establishment of the Senior Centers and election of the representative for the Senior Municipal Council;
- Awareness campaigns, discussion groups, roundtables and online actions: Gender Equality in Old Age, Safety and Support Measures for the Senior Population, Promotion of Active Aging and Human Rights of the Elderly;
- Intergenerational Activities: World Children's Day and Municipal Equality Day;
- Training Workshops: Violence Against the Elderly, Citizenship and Civic Participation, Mental Health in Old Age, How to Age More Positively, Municipal Public Policies, Senior Physical Activity, Social Support for the Elderly, and Technology and Combating Isolation;
- Traveling Exhibition “For the Human Rights of People”;
- Seminar “Citizenship and Civic Participation of the Elderly”.
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
As a result of the work carried out throughout the project, the Senior Municipal Council met for the first time on January 30, 2024. Composed of one elected representative from each of the 14 Senior Centers, it is a space for reflection and participation where senior people have the opportunity to present proposals for combating and preventing situations that are harmful to their well-being. This proved to be a fundamental step towards the creation of the first Senior Participatory Budget in the region. At the municipal level, promoted by the Ribeira Grande city hall, its regulations were approved in 2024, and the first edition took place in 2025.
External Links
https://gulbenkian.pt/cidadaos-ativos/projects/voz-envelhecer-com-dignidade/
https://novodia.org/projeto/voz/
https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/regulamento/1445-2024-900361052
