The Regional Director for Communities announced in Ribeira Grande the launch of the second edition of the "Azores: Sea of Cultures" contest, an initiative aimed at the dissemination of cultural diversity in the Azores.

"Nowadays, we see a trend towards cultural convergence in a Region historically marked by emigration as a result of immigration flows that have brought 75 different nationalities to the Azores," said Paulo Teves. The government official spoke in the context of a class on "The Azores and Migrations" at Ribeira Grande Secondary School.

According to him, "it is essential that Azorean youngsters play an increasingly active role in the dissemination of phenomenon of immigration in the archipelago in order to promote a better relation between cultures in the societies where immigrants live, especially at school." In this regard, the government official added that the initiative falls within the activities developed in "the area of intercultural education."

Paulo Teves revealed that the second edition of "Azores: Sea of Cultures," organised by the Azorean Government, through the Regional Directorate for Communities, is targeted 10th and 11th form students enrolled at regional schools as well as at students attending level 4 vocational training courses.

In order to participate in the contest, students must to compete in groups of three and submit a work in video format on the theme of immigration in the Azores; it may be presented as journalistic or historical report or even as a creative story. The group should also include a teacher, who will be charge of monitoring the development of the project.

The project should be submitted to the Regional Directorate for Communities until May 30. The winner will be announced until July 31.

The works to be submitted under this contest should "focus on the dissemination of cultural diversity in the Azores, with special emphasis on the awareness of society for the issues of equality, citizenship, cultural diversity and the fight against racial and cultural discrimination," stressed the Regional Director. He also announced that "the winning team and the teacher in charge will be awarded a trip to Cape Verde, where they will have the opportunity to know the country and its culture as well as the tradition of one of main immigrant communities residing in the Autonomous Region of the Azores."

A group of students from the School of New Technologies of the Azores, Ana Amaral, Olívia Taveira and Tatiana Teves, under the guidance of teacher Pedro Trindade were the winners of the first edition of the "Azores: Sea of Culture" contest.

The winning team won a trip to Lisbon and Geneva from September 11 to 16. They visited several important organisations in the area of migrations, including the National Immigrant Support Centre and the High Commission for Migrations, both in Lisbon, as well as the International Organisation for Migrations and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, both headquartered in Geneva.
 
In his speech, Paulo Teves challenged youngsters "to take active part in this initiative, thus contributing to the creation of more united, egalitarian world that respects human rights."

Further information on the "Azores: Sea of Cultures" Contest and the respective application form are available on the page of Regional Directorate for Communities page on the Regional Government portal at http://www.azores.gov.pt/Portal/pt/entidades/pgra-ssrpre-drcomunidades.