Between July 17 and 26, Casa Mãe do Gradil, in Mafra, hosted the Activism and Community Action Lab, a residential camp that brought together 14 young people aged 15 to 25 around social, climate and gender justice, with ecofeminism as the guiding thread of the program.
Over the course of 10 days, participants explored, through workshops, talks, visits and artivism, the intersectionality between the climate crisis and gender inequalities, and had the opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities, namely workshops on ecofeminism, activism and community action, communication for social causes, human rights, female entrepreneurship, social movements and storytelling, as well as a vegetarian cooking workshop. The program also included outdoor and sharing moments, namely a walk to see the green giants, a surfing class, a creative narrative workshop on climate change in Portugal, and artivism activities with an ecofeminist perspective.
As part of the collective work carried out throughout the Lab, the young participants drew up a manifesto, which was presented on July 24 to Dr. Filipa Mesquita, Head of the Youth Division of Loures City Council, and to representatives of two Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), José Luís Monteiro, from Oikos, and Catarina António, from FEC.
Lara, 17, from Évora, was one of the young participants. At the end of the ten days, she noted that the experience made her realize that climate change is a much more important issue than she had imagined, and that it needs to be discussed more. For Lara, one of the key takeaways was understanding that the climate crisis is not a question for the future, but for the present. Even so, she believes that optimism is essential and that
"young people's voices need to be heard more."
Sara Daniel, founder of
"Poema Instante" and facilitator of the workshop
"The Revolution of Care" stressed the importance of creating spaces like this one, noting that
"In a time marked by profound social, environmental and democratic crises, it has never been so urgent to create spaces where young people can strengthen their sense of community and find ways to actively participate in shaping the world they live in. The future depends on this involvement and participation."
The Lab thus provided a space for learning, sharing and empowerment, equipping the young participants with tools and skills to design and implement concrete actions in their communities, reinforcing, from an ecofeminist perspective, their role as agents of change for a fairer, more sustainable and inclusive future.
This initiative was carried out in synergy with three projects — "Ecoality: Young People and Local Authorities Together for Climate and Gender Justice," implemented by AIDGLOBAL in partnership with Loures City Council and co-funded by the European Union and by Camões – Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, I.P.; "Youth 2030. Mobilizing to Act," carried out in Portugal by IMVF – Instituto Marquês de Valle Flôr, and also co-funded by the European Union and by Camões – Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, I.P.; and "HUMAN — Your Voice, Your Action," an initiative of Clube de Lisboa, IMVF and Oeiras City Council, co-funded by Camões – Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, I.P.
