Associação Emergência Social

description of organisation

Emergência Social was founded almost 25 years ago through the initiative of youths who were volunteering in the neighbourhood da Quinta Grande and were motivated by the positive response of the children and youths with whom they were working. Since then, it began to grow with the support of young volunteers to combat poverty and social exclusion by combining appropriate professional social responses, with the creation of a strong relationship of friendship to people in need. Currently, it works in 5 neighbourhoods of Lisbon (Boavista, Alto do Lumiar Norte, Sur da Cruz, Vermelha and Quinta do Mocho) raising awareness of issues involving attacks on human dignity.
Emergência Social aims is that through fostering volunteerism, young volunteers could commit themselves to improving the situation of people that suffer from various types of necessities at the same time they grow in self-knowledge and confront them with challenging goals to acquire abilities that will help them to become better persons and citizens.
The main support of the association is aimed at children, young people and families at risk of social exclusion to facilitate their social and community integration. To reach the objective and target group, Emergência Social proposes to create and maintain activities such as: Community Center: a place to go to get legal assistance, personalized family guidance, as well as family mediation, Job search assistance, Professional training, Parents School, Adult literacy classes, Socioeducational workshops for children and youth people, Promotion of cultural and sports activities, Organization of activities for youths for the weekends and during school holidays, Distribution of prepared meals and food, Accompaniment programmes for the elderly and with discapacities...