Developing learning strategies to bring youth and dynamism back to the city
Mação is a municipality in central Portugal, located in the district of Santarém. It has a flourishing agricultural tradition embedded in a picturesque landscape.
Vision and Motivation
Mação aims to create innovative projects that draw on domestic and scientific resources, and encourage civic engagement.
Challenges and Goals
Located in the country’s interior and home to a large ageing population, Mação’s main goal is to attract young people and revitalize the economy. One of the main challenges it faces is to reverse negative demographic trends.
Plan and Implementation
Mação has designed a strategy that focuses on learning and has three main objectives. The first is to consolidate pre-university education, e.g. through a number of pilot projects created by schools (such as the ‘100 per cent student’ project). The second is to establish a research culture in the region through partnerships with higher education institutions, primarily the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, which has set up a research institute offering PhD programmes (Instituto Terra e Memória). The third is to foster civic engagement through learning initiatives focusing on quality of life and well-being, as is the case with the University of the Third Age.
UIL is not responsible for the content of this city profile.
