Participo! - Women''s civic and political participation

Description

The project aims to: promote the increase of the political and civic participation rates of women and girls in the areas of Aldoar, Foz do Douro and Nevogilde; promote greater involvement of women who are already involved in local political and civic life and wish to increase their levels of responsibility, with a view to raising awareness of gender equality and opportunities; and to create tools to facilitate local political and civic participation.
To achieve these objectives the project includes the following activities: the creation of an Interdisciplinary Working Group to promote reflection and debate to identify and overcome the main obstacles to female participation, seeking to find proper solutions; the creation of a digital platform to facilitate and encourage political and civic participation and to make the participatory process more attractive, fast and intuitive; the Simulation of Town Councils through the methodology of Theater of the Oppressed as a means of education for citizenship; training and empowerment actions for girls and women to promote education for citizenship and participation (using the methodology of personal storytelling and photography); intensive academies for citizenship education aimed at students of secondary or higher education using non-formal education methodologies; advanced training course for women (b-learning format) enabling the acquisition of advanced knowledge for political and civic participation and training of transversal competences; the construction of a Network of Women where they can support each other in the debate and development of ideas and projects; an impact assessment study that will assess the extent to which project participants, particularly women and girls in the area, demonstrate a positive change in the perception of the importance and opportunities for political and civic participation at the local level and show a significant improvement in the acquisition of knowledge and participatory skills.

Summary of project results

The project Participo! - Women''s Civic and Political Participation aimed to promote the increase of the political and civic participation rates of women and girls in the areas of Aldoar, Foz do Douro and Nevogilde (Oporto city); promote greater involvement of women who are already involved in local political and civic life and the increase of their levels of responsibility, to raise awareness of gender equality and opportunities; and to create tools to facilitate local political and civic participation.

• The Working group had 18 sessions, in which 15 entities and 24 representatives participated throughout the months;
• Digital Platform, where information about the project was published, also on this platform was created a Digital Forum that allows the creation of a profile and for simplified contact with other women, throughout the months 6 webinars with diversified themes were dynamised, as a way to share the participants'' testimonies 11 testimonies were captured on Youtube livestream;
• Theatre of the Oppressed, after 3 workshops and 5 open rehearsals, a video play was created and presented in 8 presentation sessions, held in different places in the territory, which involved 172 participants, aged between 12 and 93. 
• Personal Narratives, 20 narratives were built, which led to the creation of 19 videos with personal testimonies, which were shared on social networks, these videos had more than 250 shares and more than 2500 reactions, still within the scope of the construction of narratives, there were 4 photography exhibitions and 4 gatherings for debate on female participation, finally a session was developed for a meeting of all the women who shared their testimonies "Session We [You and I]" and the book "21 Poses" was created;
• Participate! academies, a training session that addressed human rights, gender equality and participation through non-formal education; 4 editions were organised, with 59 participants, 40 aged between 14 and 30;
• B-learning Course, training transversal skills such as self-knowledge, self-confidence, communication in public and the ability to give meaning to political and civic commitment, 2 editions were developed, 50 hours of training per edition, which had a total of 65 enrolled and 37 trainees with a positive result;
• Local Network of Mutual Help, after a meeting attended by 14 people, a document was created with the contributions of the Local Network, with suggestions for actions to create moments of mutual help;
• TEDxPorto Salon event, an event which was attended by 187 people, who watched 6 testimonies from 6 speakers who participated in the project and who, for 10 minutes, shared their life stories and the project in which they are involved, in a civically active way;
• Impact Evaluation, this process culminated in an impact report where it is demonstrated that 75% of the participants demonstrated learning in the area of gender equity and opportunities.

The “PARTICIPO! Civic and Political Participation of Women” project has also successfully implemented a series of new activities during its extended period, which ran from January 31 to April 30, 2024. These activities were designed to further engage the community and promote gender equality through innovative and participatory approaches. Among the key initiatives was the Workshop on Personal Narratives, held on March 22, 2024, at the Centro Nuno Ortigão in Foz do Douro. This workshop brought together 15 participants to reflect on and share their experiences of civic and political engagement. Another highlight was the “Provas de Luz: 21 Poses” Photography Exhibition, an itinerant showcase featuring portraits of 21 women with notable civic and political trajectories. Although only communication materials were provided as evidence, the exhibition aimed to inspire and empower through visual storytelling. Additionally, the 50|50: Reconciliation in Focus event on March 8, 2024, at the Ilídio Pinho Auditorium, attracted around 50 participants for a documentary screening and discussion on gender balance and reconciliation. The Human-Centered Design on Women’s Political Participation initiative, conducted between March and April 2024, fostered collaborative and creative solutions to enhance women’s involvement in politics, culminating in a detailed report. The Conference on Political Participation: Women and April, held on April 23-24, 2024, at the Carvalho Guerra Auditorium and the Cupertino de Miranda Foundation, featured documentary screenings, panel discussions, workshops, and a Vox Populi session, engaging 87 participants. The Poetry, Feminist Noun event on April 11, 2024, celebrated feminist poetry with local poets and an open mic, drawing over 200 attendees. The project also extended its reach internationally through an International Exchange at the European Center for Women and Technology in Oslo, Norway, from April 14 to 18, 2024, where five project members presented the project’s activities and outcomes. Furthermore, the Feminist Tours, held on April 13, 14, 20, and 27, 2024, offered guided walks through Porto, highlighting the stories of remarkable women, with a total of 67 participants across the four sessions. Lastly, the “Café Com Sentido” breakfast event on April 10, 2024, provided a space for 44 women to network and discuss the challenges of civic and political participation. 

• 172 participants in Theater of the Oppressed (42 male, 130 female), aged between 12 and 93;
• 40 participants in the Participate Academy! (9 male, 31 female) - 30 aged between 14 and 30;
• 37 graduates with a positive outcome in the B-Learning Course (1 male and 36 female)
• On average, 73% of participants indicated that they had a better understanding of the obstacles to women''s civic and political participation and were more willing to engage in civic or political initiatives. 
• The Project Promoter proposed the use of a manifesto containing solutions and proposed activities to be implemented at the local level. However, this document does not fully address the contracted objective (public recomendations).
• The extension of the project was justified by the need to dedicate additional time to communication activities, ensuring broader dissemination and engagement. This approach proved highly effective, as the project directly reached nearly 500 people through its diverse activities. The innovative and inclusive communication strategy not only maximized the project’s impact but also successfully raised awareness about gender equality and equal opportunities, fulfilling its core objectives despite the adjustments made to the original plan.

Summary of bilateral results

Participation in the working group for reflection and debate on the political and civic participation of women and girls, involving local organizations.