SEEDS FOR THE COMMUNITY PROJECT (I)
Alto do Lumiar Basic School 2/3 | Lisboa, PT
2021
A collaborative project to create an artistic installation that aims to foster active citizenship and transform the school environment. Through attentive listening and creative participation by students and teachers, a multifunctional space is created, conducive to dialogue, where everyone can express themselves and be heard.
A-GRUPA Performance: Sounding, Research and Construction
- Meetings with the pedagogical council;
- Observation of school dynamics;
- Conversations with the school group around dialogue and a sense of community;
- Dynamics with participatory methodologies with students to promote active citizenship;
- Construction of the Agora as a space for collective discussion;
- Activities of appropriation of the object and the surrounding space based on the exploration of the possibilities of transformation through co-creation and co-construction.
Partners: E-DA, Dead Cat Workshop, Lisbon City Council
Na mídia: In this school in Lumiar, an Agora teaches that listening to others also teaches
BIBLIOTECA
Setúbal, PT
2022
Seeking to overcome the barriers of physical library space, the Anda Cá project emerged with the intention of bringing communities together by promoting reading habits and experiential activities in the coastal neighborhoods of Setúbal. Social inclusion and the establishment of individual, close, and integrated relationships with the residents of Cova do Vapor, Trafaria, and Monte da Caparica.
The starting point was the creation of a modular wooden object that functions as a small library. "Anda Cá" has books and also materials for artistic activities, a tablet, Wi-Fi, and more. Through music, dance, film, storytelling, conversations, and performance, "Anda Cá" promotes multidisciplinary cultural gatherings and activities that encourage reading and transform the traditional idea of a library as a confined, silent, and undynamic space.
A-GRUPA Performance: Design, Construction and Community Facilitation
Partners: E-DA, Dead Cat Workshop
URBINAT
Porto, PT
2022 – 2024
As part of the Horizon 2020 project ‘URBiNAT – Healthy corridors as drives of social housing neighborhoods for the co-creation of social, environmental and marketable NBS’, we were called by the Porto City Council to organize the methodology and mediate the sessions of the three working groups that are developing several projects in the Campanhã region, Porto, for the co-production and co-governance of citizen projects within the scope of the project.
The URBiNAT project focuses on the regeneration of precarious neighborhoods through the co-creation of Nature-Based Solutions, using the infrastructure of a 'healthy corridor' as a driver. In Porto, one of the project's European cities, several community-based organizations are co-producing ten projects for the environmental, social, and cultural regeneration of the intervention area, with the goal of sustainability. This co-creation process consisted of: a meeting schedule with the working groups (Education and Environment, Social and Solidarity Economy, and Culture and Sports), where design tools were shared for the discussion and development of projects; regular sessions with the Healthy Corridor Working Committee, where the organizations discussed solutions together with municipal technicians and policymakers; and project trials in the area to test and refine ideas. Construction on the Porto Healthy Corridor, a linear park in Campanhã, will begin in the summer of 2023 and open to the public the following year.
SEEDS FOR THE COMMUNITY PROJECT (II and III)
Monte de Caparica Basic School 2/3 and Trafaria Basic School | Almada, PT
2024
A collaborative project to create an artistic installation that aims to foster active citizenship and transform the school environment. Through attentive listening and creative participation by students and teachers, a multifunctional space is created, conducive to dialogue, where everyone can express themselves and be heard.
“A round table is better because there is always room for +1”
Mariana, 12 years old, during the Seeds Project
A-GRUPA Performance: Sounding, Research and Construction
- Meetings with the pedagogical council;
- Observation of school dynamics;
- Conversations with the school group about the school environment and sense of community;
- Dynamics with participatory methodologies with students to promote active citizenship;
- Construction of artistic installations chosen by students;
- Activities involving the appropriation of objects and surrounding spaces by exploring the possibilities of transformation through co-creation and co-construction.
Partners: E-DA, Dead Cat Workshop, Almada City Council
SEEDS FOR THE COMMUNITY (II) is supported within the scope of PRR OIL 1 Caparica and Trafaria – Communities in Action. Funded by the European Union/NextGeneration-EU.
Na mídia: E-DA promotional video
SEALABHAUS
Architecture School of the University of Porto | Porto, PT
2024 – 2025
The SEALabHaus (Atlantic New Bauhaus Laboratory for Sustainable, Inclusive, and Beautiful Blue Tourism, Heritage, and Culture of the Sea) project is working to develop a strategy for blue tourism, maritime heritage, and culture in the Atlantic maritime area. In Portugal, it focuses on the Portuguese Atlantic coast. It explores the relationship between good blue tourism practices (local and sustainable) and the negative effects of mass tourism (such as the massive construction of hotels or the exploitation and destruction of natural resources). From an ecological perspective focused on marine animal species in local ecosystems, it explores their relationship with human activities (threats, vulnerabilities, balances, potential, and precautions).
A-GRUPA Performance: Consultation, Research and Construction
- Dynamics with participatory methodology “Sustainable and creative blue tourism” (Popcorn Method and Fishbowl Method) with participants from the Transnational Forum on Sea and Sustainability.
- Support for the production of Transnational Forum on Sea and Sustainability.
- Participation in the workshop Octopus Choreographies, what happened in the fishing village of Angeiras and FAUP: mapping, reflection, discussion.
- Visits to Angeiras, gathering information in loco, preparation of reports and presentation documents to present results.
- Preparation of a blue tourism good practices form.
- Selection and compilation of good practices representative of the region of each of the project partners (IE / FR / GAL / PT / CAN).
- Illustration of the good practices selected by the project partners, to be integrated into the website showcasing the results of the SeaLabHaus project.
- Writing and publishing a scientific article based on the project development material.
- Selection of digital tools.
QUINTA DE SALGUEIROS
Porto, PT
2024 – 2025
As part of the European project NBRACER – Nature-Based Solutions for Atlantic Regional Climate Resilience, A-GRUPA was hired by Porto City Council to coordinate, together with the Municipal Environmental Management Division, the citizen participation component and coordination between local entities and actors, focusing on the intervention planned for Quinta de Salgueiros, in Campanhã.
NBRACER aims to strengthen the climate resilience of Europe's Atlantic regions through the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in urban areas. In Porto, Quinta de Salgueiros—an urban green space of approximately three hectares—was selected as a pilot project for the creation of Porto BioLab, a living laboratory dedicated to environmental regeneration, participatory experimentation, and ecological education.
A-GRUPA assumed the following responsibilities
- Coordination of topics related to citizen participation in the project;
- Development of content and application of in-person and online surveys among residents and visitors to the Quinta;
- Analysis of survey results;
- Support in organizing and communicating guided tours of the Farm;
- Mapping and mobilization of relevant local organizations;
- Preparation of content and script for recording guided tours and development of a script for semi-structured interviews.
