How can youth crime and dropping out of school be combated?

The Quinta da Princesa district, which has a large population of Africans from the former Portuguese colonies, has an unusually high percentage of young people (66% under 35). Children drift into crime because they follow the example set by the elder generation. The project has won the European Crime Prevention Award.

The people behind the Programa Escolhas (Choices Programme) wanted an innovative approach to the problems in the district of Quinta da Princesa. Not only were both national and local partners brought into the project, the young people themselves and their parents were invited to help think about possible solutions.

Two different approaches to two groups of young people (9-15 and 16-20) were chosen. Young people in the second of these groups, together with the ´staff´, designed a "Personal Life Project" aimed at more positive attitudes towards themselves and, ultimately, towards the community.

However, it is the approach to those in the first group (9-15) that is really breaking new ground. Large numbers of youngsters turned out to be dropping out of school at the transition point from the local primary school to high school, located outside the neigbourhood. With the involvement of both pupils and parents, collaboration between the two schools was established. Five unoccupied youngsters who seemed to have a positive leadership profile were put to work as volunteer "neigbourhood tutors". This entailed their receiving training from social workers in interpersonal skills, conflict mediation and social animation. The group then went on to organise social and educational activities for other young people, ultimately becoming a sounding-board for problem families in the district.

Programa Escolhas
Pedro Calado (Neighbourhood Co-ordinator Programa Escolhas), tel. +35 1217802150

13/01/2004

case

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration

Education