The Regional Director for Communities, Paulo Teves, defended the importance of the active involvement of youngsters of Azorean descent in the associations that work on a daily basis to promote the dissemination and preservation of the cultural identity of the Azores.

Speaking to a group of youngsters of Azorean-descent living in the state of California - the leaders of the Young Portuguese American organisation -, Paulo Teves said it is "essential that youngsters with roots in the archipelago and in Mainland Portugal have the opportunity of taking part in the activities carried out by association that promote Azorean and Portuguese culture" in diaspora communities.

"Youngsters play an important role in the future of community associations. They are entrusted with the task of disseminating the Azores of today and promote Azorean cultural identity in their communities," stressed Paulo Teves, who represented the Government of the Azores at the session organised by the Luso-American Education Foundation - a non-profit institution dedicated to the promotion of Portuguese language and culture.

The future of community associations and the role of youngsters in the promotion of the Azores and Portugal were the main themes addressed at this session. In this regard, the Regional Director considered that organisations such as the Young Portuguese American "should develop new ways of serving the community, thus managing the balance between cultural identity expressed through nostalgia and the new challenges the Azores and Mainland Portugal are facing."

"The dynamics of emigrant communities, which is stimulated by the need of adapting to the challenges and needs, should demonstrate the motivation and the entrepreneurial spirit of our youngsters," said the government official.

Moreover, the Regional Director for Communities called youngsters of Azorean-descent for the importance of "strengthening the relation with the land of origin of their parents and grandparents" and defended new forms of contact between youngsters from communities and those living in the Azores "through the creation of common projects intended to disseminate the Azores of today."

Paulo Teves also attended a cultural evening organised by the Portuguese Band of San Jose, where he highlighted the commitment of philharmonic bands in the training of musicians, who are also "true ambassadors of the Azorean cultural heritage throughout the world."

In the context of his visit to the USA, Paulo Teves will participate today in the centennial celebrations of the Holy Spirit Brotherhood of San Jose. The government official will then travel to the east coast, where he has scheduled meetings with various institutions working in the Portuguese and Azorean communities living in that part of the country.