“What do you want to be when you grow up?”: children answer

Footballer, dancer, swimmer, florist, biologist, doctor, manicurist, artist, policeman, dentist, cook – these are some of the dreams of children living in the municipal areas of Lisbon, which with general help can become reality.

Gebalis knows that the world belongs to the youngest and that is why he is investing heavily in projects targeting young people and children in these areas to strengthen their academic, personal, social and digital skills. A strong commitment to prevention, creating opportunity and reducing social inequalities.

Game “My district, my city”, for example, developed by Gebalis, addresses various concepts of citizenship and public life in a playful way. Informing young people about their rights and responsibilities as residents of the area. First of all, it’s a fun way to convey serious messages.

About the game, Susana Elvas from the Department of Community Intervention Projects says: “We visited the city of Lisbon. It is preferably played by children and young people in primary schools and in public outdoor settings.”

In the same time, project “Rock House” The program aims to educate children from these areas on topics related to energy efficiency, with regular visits to KidZania.

“This is an opportunity to experience group activities, many of which probably won’t be able to return,” said teacher Claudia Cardoso.

Another extremely important project for the youth of the municipal areas of Lisbon is digital week. The first edition took place in June 2023 and provided around 180 children and young people with week-long courses in coding and robotics.

“Digital Week has allowed us to invest in the training, skills and qualifications of these young people. It also gave them the tools to make more informed decisions in the future,” says Susana Elwas from the Department of Community Affairs. Intervention projects.

Gebalis also promotes purely recreational activities where the goal is simply to make friends and play.

“At VMBA we organize several events for children, such as a pajama party, which last year our girls asked for, and this year we also had a few boys participate, we had over 30 children. We play a few games, we have a mini disco… it’s a lot of fun, so much so that we are already being asked when the next one will be,” says Filipa Valente, VMBA resident.

All of these projects and activities are critical to the education of young people who, through play and running, learn to interact socially and acquire the necessary tools to solve problems they will face throughout their lives.