ESC: Regenerate Odemira - Re.Rural Experience

The municipality of Odemira is characterized by immense landscape diversity, extending between the plain, the mountains and the sea, in a total of 1720.25 km2, to which the Mira river and the Santa Clara dam give a special color. In area, this is the largest municipality in the whole country. Odemira has an economy based on the primary sector, the manufacturing industry is practically nonexistent. The population density is 14.9 inhabitants / km2, with a total population of around 26 thousand people (2011 census). The municipality is a local authority that defines itself as a territorial legal person endowed with representative bodies (the Chamber and the Municipal Assembly) that seek to pursue the interests of the respective populations. The Municipality of Odemira, defined as a priority the reinforcement of its work and intervention in the area of youth policies. Projects are implemented to gather and structure a set of dimensions that answer to the specific needs and aspirations of Youth. The “Odemira Acredita em Ti” project, which aims at participation mechanisms, seeking to narrow the space between the Municipality and young people . We start working this specific área, since 2015, and in the field of international mobility we already promote 3 erasmus+ Youth in action projects, “2015-16-Odemira na Europa”, “2017-18-Odemira na Europa-Creating Opportunities”, “2018-19-Odemira na Europa-Há presente e há futuro aqui”, and participate as partners in the Youth Exchange “Exchanging Hobbies”, promoted by the finish partner, and with the participation of young people from, finland, Iceland, and Ireland. We also are Eurodesk Multipliers, and we are proud member of the portuguese national group in the Europe Goes Local project. We also participate in several meetings and group sessions, as Project E-lab. Locally, we promote several projects. Which aims to take our youngs to a social and civic participation, for exemple, “Mexe-te Ojovem”(Move Ojovem) is a volunteering project, that as been thinking to approach the young participants to a deeper connection with their territory, helping people in different situations, cleanings, paintings, gardening,… “Juventude Participativa” (Participation Youth), is a project where different groups of young people, according to specific theme, promote ideas to implement, with a specific budget for the development of the winning projects. “Juventude Inspiradora” (Inspiring Youth), where elections are promoted to select the representative of their territory, to be a part of the Municipal Youth Council.