The Secretary of the Presidency, André Bradford, attended the ceremony for the presentation of the architectural project for the São Miguel Youth Academy that took place in Ponta Delgada this morning.
This is another commitment taken by the Government which, despite being at project stage, already has a defined operation model and an organisational structure.

Under a resource optimisation perspective, the S. Miguel Youth Academy intends to be a decentralised model that is adapted to island's size. It makes use of the installed capacities of the existing artistic and cultural centres, such as the case of the Teatro Micaelense, Teatro Ribeiragrandense and the Academy of Arts, stressed André Bradford.

The new building will be a multipurpose structure through joint synergies that will make use of existing public infrastructures, turning them into spaces for creation, experimentation and training in various creative fields, from art to multimedia, music and performing arts. This infrastructure will also provide the technical means and the stages for further dissemination of the products created.

The new space is the only investment in terms of infrastructures and will be installed in a pre-existing building next to the Ponta Delgada Youth Hostel. In addition to modernising the building, the investment will provide all the technical conditions for its operation, revealed the Regional Secretary of the Presidency.

With the designation of "PDL Creative Factory," this building is the core unit of the youth academy. It will operate both as a space dedicated to music, sound, cinema, video and photography and as a space for the management and administration of the academy, added the government official.

In his view, this project comes in line with the strategic effort undertaken by the Regional Government in the area of youth policies, particularly in the fields of cultural and creative industries, innovation and youth entrepreneurship.

In this context, André Bradford recalled the various initiatives developed by the Government, such as the internal and external mobility of youngsters, through the Interjovem Card, the promotion of Youth Associations, the investment in non-formal training, free time occupation programmes, the provision of activities at holiday camps, youth volunteering and the promotion of healthy lifestyles.

The Secretary of the Presidency also pointed out that in the in times of economic and social instability, the Azorean Government has increased the support to leasing schemes for young couples, traineeship programmes and the integration of youngsters in the labour market with the creation of requalification programmes for youngsters with higher education in areas of lower employability.

Concluding, André Bradford assured that despite there is still much to be done, the Government has helped to turn the Azores into a region that is aware of its human potential and the importance of youth qualification and the constant investment in support mechanisms to youth targeted policies.