Name of the organization: ComParte
Website: comparte.pt
Brief description of the organization
It is a nationwide project focused on civic involvement and social transformation, developed within the Maria Rosa Foundation.
It was born in a context of increasing appreciation for citizen participation in the construction of social structures aligned with the needs and dreams of all and enriched by the contribution of each one.
Through an innovative methodology developed in partnership with the Norwegian organization ForandringsFrabrikken, citizens collaborate in the development of the structures of the society of which they are part, sharing their knowledge and suggestions with decision-makers.
Problem addressed by the good practice
In the area of education, the team invites young people to share their experiences and ideas about what works and what can be transformed at school. In this process, students meet directly with decision-makers at different levels and their involvement is recognized as an important part of building an education system that works at its best.
Target groups
The members of ComParte, from the team, as well as refugees, migrants and people from the surrounding areas that want to get to know more about others and share their cultures.
Summary of the good practice
This good practice is an intercultural dinner made every two months, where each person brings a typical dish from their country, getting together refugees, migrants, third-country nationals and Portuguese nationals. Each ComParte em Fusão has a topic and after the dinner we do roundtables of discussion where participants speak about a topic in several groups, sharing experiences and knowledge, getting an intercultural review of each person’s lives and experiences.
Evaluation
The ComParte team measures the success and evaluates it with the success of their approach, getting together what they call Pros (the people who are together with them and are getting expert in the topics of interculture and education). The team focuses on the collaboration between Pros and Decision-makers to build systems working at their best. In education, the team listens to young people from all over the country and creates moments where everyone can share their ideas and suggestions directly with decision-makers. In integration, the Pros share their experience of welcoming and integrating in Portugal and thus contribute to a system that adapts to the needs of each one.
Recommendations
The ComParte team highly recommends everyone to be open-minded and to speak with all the people who come to their events. The team also would like more things like this to happen across the country and in other countries.
Resources
More information is available on the organization’s website and on the dedicated Facebook group.