The Mayor of Praia da Vitória said that the Praia da Vitória Social Charter 2025–2029 will enable the municipality to update its social responsesin light of current challenges.

Speaking at the presentation of the document, held Thursday morning, the 15th, at the Youth and Arts Academy of Terceira Island, Vânia Ferreira stressed that “both the Municipality and social support institutions will now have a management tool suited to local realities,” one that promotes improved partnerships and synergies for the benefit of the population.

“From today onward, this municipality has a management and coordination instrument bringing together the 20 entities operating in the social sector, giving them the potential to share resources and generate synergies that strengthen and improve social responses in Praia da Vitória. In addition, it serves as an essential technical foundation for applications to public and European funding programs, as well as for strategic decision-making in the area of social investment,” the mayor explained.

She added that “its ongoing use also encourages an integrated and participatory approach, strengthening interinstitutional coordination and the involvement of different local stakeholders in the planning and implementation of social policies. In this way, the Social Charter establishes itself as a dynamic instrument that should be regularly updated to keep pace with demographic, social, and economic changes in the territory.”

The Social Charter presented on Thursday replaces the municipality’s previous Social Charter, dating back to 2015, and its implementation is based on current national legislation.

The document, prepared by the firm Fundo de Maneio, incorporated input from social service institutions and stakeholders in the municipality and is linked to other municipal management instruments, namely the Integrated Local Strategy to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion in Praia da Vitória.

“Only with integrated, cross-cutting, and holistic tools is it possible to ensure effective solutions that truly respond to existing problems,” emphasized the Mayor of Praia da Vitória.

At the level of local diagnosis, the Praia da Vitória Social Charter 2025–2029 points to a decline in the municipality’s resident population, decreasing birth and fertility rates, and an increase in the elderly population.

It therefore concludes that there is a need to strengthen support measures for home-based care and residential facilities for older residents in the municipality.

With regard to family support, the document advocates increasing, over the next eight years, the number of available places in daycare centers and after-school programs (ATLs), as well as implementing support measures for single-parent families, described as “a growing reality in the municipality.”

The Charter also highlights the need to create or update measures focused on mental health, described as “a cross-cutting issue affecting all age groups.”

It further records the financial constraints faced by social support institutions in the municipality, calling for a broad and open debate on the issue.

“These are challenges that confront us all — us, as managers of public resources; municipal technicians; private social solidarity institutions; the regional administration; and ultimately all of us, as a community that seeks to be supportive and humanistic. Each of you has a role to play in ensuring that the measures and resources outlined in this Social Charter translate into effective responses for those who need them most in this municipality. That is the guiding purpose to which we commit ourselves, within the scope of our responsibilities,” Vânia Ferreira concluded.

From Press Release

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.