The 20th edition of the Cultural Youth Education Camp was sponsored by the Luso American Education Foundation with the support of the Regional Government, through the Regional Directorate for Communities. It starts today at Sonoma State University, California; Sandra Melo is the Cultural Ambassador of the Azores.
 
The selected candidate, who teaches at Tomás de Borba Basic Education and Secondary School in Angra do Heroísmo, will be in charge of transmitting to participants of the 2017 edition the traditional and contemporary culture of the Azores, through various workshops.
This initiative, which runs from June 19 to 23 in the United States, aims to integrate young people into academic life, giving them a taste of university life and promoting the taste for Portuguese cultural heritage and values.
 
The Cultural Youth Education Camp directed to young people between the ages of 12 and 18. It will allow participants to experience the life of a university campus for five days, providing visits to various departments and engaging in cultural activities ranging from Portuguese music to architecture, art, dance, history, language and culture.
 
With the support provided to this initiative, the Regional Government aims to reinforce the dissemination of regional culture and traditions among young people, thus contributing to their preservation and strengthening relations between the archipelago and its Diaspora.
 
Founded in 1963, the Luso American Education Foundation has as essential mission the promotion of Portuguese language and culture in the USA, through the development of several initiatives, such as the granting of scholarships to young people of Portuguese descent, the support to Portuguese course at several U.S. universities and the annual conference on the importance of the language of Camões in the world.