What we do

From the 10 years of activity of the Citizen Academy, we highlight the community and mobilization activities of the projects ‘How to Occupy a River’ and ‘Red Line’.” How to Squat a River – Using the Jamor River as a case study, this project aimed to study and develop ways for a community to enhance its sustainable relationship with the river, encompassing economic, social, and environmental aspects. Red Line – The project involved knitting against oil and gas exploration in Portugal, aiming to bring together activists and non-activists for climate justice to knit Red Lines against fossil fuel exploitation in Portugal. Over four years, more than two thousand people knitted 1200 meters of Red Line, involving 46 partners from across the country and some international ones in over 100 events nationwide, excluding Madeira. The project successfully achieved its objectives as all contracts for fossil fuel exploration in Portugal were canceled. […]

10 years of Citizenship Academy – Community Building and Mobilization

From the 10 years of activity of the Citizen Academy, we highlight the community activities of the projects ‘Colored Ball,’ ‘Other Championships,’ and ‘Reinvented World Map.'” Colored Ball – Community intervention project involving youth aged 6 to 30 in situations of social vulnerability, using street soccer as a means of integration. A total of 256 training sessions were conducted in the neighborhoods of Horta Nova and Cabrinha, along with 38 activities for intercultural exchange and various street soccer games, tournaments, and theoretical training sessions. The main partner was the National Street Football Association. Other Championships – Community empowerment project in the neighborhood where the Citizen Academy is located, Quinta do Cabrinha. It used street soccer and sustainable tourism to achieve three objectives: community building, enhancement of public space, and opening the community to the surroundings. The project involved various partners, including the Alcântara Parish Council, the National Street Football Association, […]

10 years of Citizenship Academy – Community Building

From the 10 years of activity at Citizenship Academy, we highlight the networking efforts in the area of “Right to Housing,” the “LGBTI+ Pride March in Lisbon,” and the “European Civic Forum.” Right to Housing – “Cities in Transition” and the “Living in Lisbon” movement – The “Cities in Transition” project was based on exchange of experiences about local grassroots initiatives among project partners, organizations from five European cities: Amsterdam, Bucharest, Berlin, London, and Lisbon, with events held in Amsterdam and Bucharest. The “Living in Lisbon” movement, in which Citizenship Academy participated for three years, involved over thirty associations and more than a dozen researchers from various fields. It played a crucial role in putting the right to housing and the right to the city on the agenda of the media and authorities, leading to the creation of the Secretary of State for Housing and the drafting of the Basic […]

10 years of Citizenship Academy – Networking 1

From the 10 years of activity at Citizenship Academy, we highlight the network-building efforts of the “Citizens’ Rights” project, “International Exchanges,” and the “TROCA Platform.” Citizens’ Rights – A series of workshops in schools across the country covering topics such as non-discrimination, human rights, digital privacy, and citizenship. Thematic meetings of EU activists discussed how individuals and collectives can protect and enhance their rights. Citizenship Academy participated in four meetings outside Portugal on the themes of “Culture,” “Legislation,” “Media,” and “Policies.” In Portugal, an event on “community” brought together 30 people over three days. International Exchanges – Collaborations with a dozen international partners in four European countries – Romania, Austria, Spain, and Georgia – involving 15 people over a year. Participation in the TROCA Platform – We participated for three years in the TROCA Platform, attending regular meetings and collecting signatures for the Citizen Initiative, which reached 16,000 signatures in […]

10 years of Citizenship Academy – Networking 1

From our 10 years of activity at Citizenship Academy, we highlight the awareness-raising efforts of “Coffees with a scent of democracy” and “Joining Hands for Public Water.” “Coffee with a scent of democracy” involved conversations/debates and screenings of documentaries/films on various topics such as touristification/gentrification, international trade treaties, and climate issues, along with the Masterclass “City Making and Tourism Gentrification” and the Open Letter “Living in Lisbon.” “Joining Hands for Public Water” was a European Citizenship initiative (citizen’s law proposal) advocating for universal rights to water and sanitation in the European Union. We gathered around 14,000 signatures in Portugal, falling short of about 2,000 signatures to reach the national goal. In 2022, on May 15th, Citizenship Academy celebrated its 10th anniversary, revisiting all 16 activities in terms of awareness, community work, networking, and mobilization. Over these ten years, Citizenship Academy engaged with 113 partners, and activities took place in various […]

10 years of Citizenship Academy – Raising Awareness 1

On May 15, 2022, Citizenship Academy turned 10 years old and revisited all 16 activities it carried out in terms of awareness raising, community work, networking and mobilization. Over these ten years, Citizenship Academy involved 113 partners and activities took place in several countries such as Portugal, Romania, Austria, Spain, Georgia, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy. There were countless activities of a varied nature, from conversations, masterclasses, film screenings, public sessions, demonstrations, street football projects and documentaries. The Citizenship Academy’s motto was launched by the people who organized the Geração à Rasca (Distressed Generation) Protest, held on March 12, 2011, an initiative that inaugurated a new form of citizen participation in Europe, by being called on social media and without any partisan support or unions. On May 15, 2012, Citizenship Academy was registered with the aim of boosting active citizenship and building roots of development with principles […]

10 year of Citizenship Academy

Dezasseis organizações não-governamentais portugueses exigem uma “investigação completa e imparcial” sobre os incidentes. Uma carta aberta de 16 organizações não-governamentais (ONG) portuguesas reclama o fim do que classificam como “abusos de autoridade” e “repressão policial contra ativistas climáticos”, exigindo uma “investigação completa e imparcial” sobre os incidentes. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner “Nas últimas semanas, testemunhámos perplexos uma série de incidentes perturbadores que envolvem detenções arbitrárias, repressão policial dentro de universidades e até mesmo violência física contra ativistas climáticos que têm exercido o seu direito fundamental de manifestação não violenta, consagrado na Constituição Portuguesa”, escrevem os autores da carta, hoje tornada pública. about:blank Dirigida ao Presidente da República e aos deputados portugueses, os subscritores exigem que “tais abusos da autoridade sejam interrompidos imediatamente” e consideram “urgente uma investigação completa e imparcial sobre os incidentes de repressão policial e violência contra ativistas climáticos”. Os autores denunciam a “crescente repressão policial, com relatos de detenções […]

Carta aberta de várias ONG contesta “repressão policial” de ativistas climáticos | SÁBADO

Nascida há dez anos, no seio do núcleo dinamizador da manifestação Geração à Rasca, ocorrida um ano antes, a Academia Cidadã entra numa nova fase. Prestes a abandonar a sede, na Quinta do Cabrinha, na Avenida de Ceuta, centra-se em novos combates cívicos. João Labrincha, secretário e um dos fundadores, acha que a sociedade civil está mais madura. Apesar dos populismos e do crescimento da extrema-direita. Que são, assegura, meras reacções ao inevitável progresso social. Mas diz-se descrente no papel das redes sociais: “Hoje, já não seria possível organizar uma Geração à Rasca”. Artéria: Este ano, comemoram-se 10 anos da Academia Cidadã, cujos objectivos, desde sempre anunciados, são impulsionar a cidadania activa e a construção de raízes de desenvolvimento com princípios de sustentabilidade social, económica e ambiental. Passada uma década, os objectivos foram cumpridos? João Labrincha: Passada uma década, estamos a cumprir os objectivos, sim. Se, algum dia, alguma organização dissesse […]

Público, Artéria: “Estamos a caminhar para uma sociedade mais igualitária, mais aberta às diferenças”

O acolhimento da justiça à queixa de Mário Machado contra Mamadou Ba é inaceitável e alarmante por si, e é-o ainda mais quando se olha para “os dois pesos e duas medidas” que a caracterizam. 11 de Novembro de 2022, 1:48 A 10 de junho de 1995, Mário Machado fazia parte do grupo da Frente de Defesa Nacional que assassinou Alcindo Monteiro e brutalizou várias pessoas naquela noite. Hoje, o neonazi mais conhecido do país procura utilizar os tribunais para limpar a sua imagem à custa da vida de um outro homem negro, Mamadou Ba. De facto, Mário Machado tem vindo a fazer várias tentativas de retorno à vida pública como se de uma figura impoluta se tratasse. Foi isso que procurou fazer com a candidatura à liderança da Juve Leo (2018); com a ida ao programa Você na TV (2019); ou a viagem à Ucrânia, onde acabaria por não […]

Público: “O Antirracismo no banco dos réus”

The Citizenship Academy celebrated its 10th anniversary on May 15th and, in partnership with “Setenta e Quatro”, we talked online around the question “do we live in the safest country in the world or in the one on CMTV?” The Citizenship Academy motto was launched by the people who organized the Geração à Rasca (Distressed Generation) Protest, on March 12, 2011, which inaugurated a new form of citizen participation in Europe, by being called on social media and without party or institutional support. Just over a year later, on May 15, 2012, the Citizenship Academy was registered, with the aim of boosting active citizenship and building roots of development with principles of social, economic and environmental sustainability. The anniversary celebration will take place next Tuesday, at 9:30 pm, in a conversation broadcast live on Citizenship Academy Facebook. Participation will be open to the public, through this link. The organization of […]

10th anniversary of Academia Cidadã talking about journalism and security