Building Participatory Democracy – April Grassroots Associations of Porto

The Portuguese associative tradition, whose roots go back to the 19th century and which saw an important expansion in the First Republic (1910-1926) linked to the labour movement and socialist ideals, resisted the dictatorship's repressive control of associative action and, in some cases, even constituted a space for practices of freedom and free learning of the regime's ideological project. These dynamics of resistance were amplified to an unprecedented degree in the explosion of freedoms brought about by the April revolution. At a local level, research into these types of contexts still needs attention, particularly regarding the educational, social, political and cultural assumptions that remain in these institutions that are subsidiaries of April, both in their heritage and in their present activity, as well as in their sociability and symbolic heritage. Subsidiaries of the social emergencies of a decisive historical time, the associative movement is not just a circumstance. As a living social organism, the associative movement shapes sociability, produces, validates and archives knowledge and organises solidarity in contexts particularly affected by the retreat of the welfare state. Local associations take on characteristics that validate them as instances of informal and non-formal education, as well as being cultural and historical indices of 50 years of democracy. The aim of this project is to contribute to sociological, historical and educational knowledge about Porto's popular association movement in its relationship with the April Revolution and democratic consolidation and specifically about the developments and associative challenges faced by popular associations in Porto created during the PREC and in the first years after the approval of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic. In order to fulfil this objective, the project is based on three case studies – Universidade Popular do Porto, Associação Nacional dos Deficientes Sinistrados no Trabalho e Associação de Moradores da Lomba - based on the social and educational intervention heritage developed in the training and internships of Social Educators formed at Porto School of Education. After almost five decades, these associations remain active and claim April´s Revolution democratic legacy, which justifies a detailed study of their history and associative practices. In line with Rodrigues (2015), one of the project's lines of innovation is to question the extent to which the roots of popular mobilisation are maintained in these associations, at what level, with what intensity and with what new dynamics. On the other hand, the project also aims to preserve a social and collective history from the north of the country that is still little studied and known, even though it is fundamental for understanding and evolving Portuguese democracy over the last 50 years. To respond to this objective, the project also uses oral history methodology aiming to collect oral testimonies and part of these associations archives making this data available to an academic and general public.

PODER - Power Dynamics in Education Revisited

PODER is a European project involving 5 countries with the aim of investigating and overcoming issues related to power in adult education contexts. The project also aims to discover and share tools for dealing with asymmetries and hierarchies in formal and non-formal contexts, integrating the Theatre of the Oppressed as the main resource for adult education.

ClimActiC - Connecting Citizenship and Science for Climate Adaptation

This project seeks to bring together citizens, science and public policies in the management of adaptation to climate change, involving young people in the search for solutions to climate issues.

CATCH-EyoU - Constructing AcTive CitizensHip with European Youth: Policies, Practices, Challenges and Solutions

CATCH-EyoU sought to invest in the intersection of different disciplinary areas (Education, Psychology, Political Science, Sociology, among others), in different locations (it encompassed 8 European countries), proposing a plurality of methodological contributions (quantitative and qualitative) in order to access different levels of analysis (psychological, developmental, macro social and contextual). Its main objective was to intentionally promote active citizenship on a European scale, providing a greater understanding of young people's civic participation.

Um encontro dentro e fora de muros: Educar para a Cidadania com o corpo, a mente e o afeto ["An encounter inside and outside the walls: Educating for Citizenship with body, mind and affection"]

PhD Scholarship under the supervision of Professor Isabel Menezes and the co-supervision of Doctor José Eduardo Silva and Doctor Carla Malafaia. She was awarded a doctoral research grant at CIIE - Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Educativas/FPCEUP, funded by FCT under the reference PD/BD/114282/2016.