Portal da Açorianidade

The Regional Secretariat for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, through the Regional Directorate for the Communities, is promoting a webinar on “Challenges and responses of social service organisations in Canada and the United States of America to the new profiles of Azorean communities” next Thursday, June 20. This webinar involves the participation of 10 social work organisations serving Azorean communities in North America, with which the Azorean Government maintains annual financial cooperation protocols. The full broadcast can be followed via the “Azorean Communities” page on Facebook, starting at 3 pm in the Azores, 11 am in Boston or Toronto and 8 am in California. The opening speech will be delivered by the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, Paulo Estêvão, and the panels will be moderated by the Regional Director for the Communities, José Andrade. The first panel, from 3 pm to 4 pm ( Azores time), is dedicated to organisations based in Canada and will feature Abrigo Centre (Toronto, Ontario), Working Women Community Centre (Toronto, Ontario),  Centre d’Action socio-communautaire (Montreal, Quebec) and Portuguese Support Services for Quality Living/Luso Canadian Charitable Society (Hamilton, Ontario). The second panel, from 4 pm to 5 pm in the Azores, will give voice to organisations from the United States of America, namely Catholic Social Services (Fall River, Massachusetts), Immigrants Assistance Centre (New Bedford, Massachusetts), MAPS – Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (Cambridge, Massachusetts), P.O.S.S.O – Portuguese Organization for Services and Opportunities (San Jose, California), Ser-Jobs for Progress (Fall River, Massachusetts) and VALER – Valley Area Living Enabling Resources (Turlock, California). This initiative aims to be a space for reflection and sharing on the practices, experiences and difficulties experienced by the organisations that make up the International Network of Social Service Organisations in the face of the new profiles of the Azorean communities in their geographical areas of intervention. Acknowledging the important role of these organisations in helping, supporting and integrating Azorean emigrants into their host societies, the Regional Government has promoted support for their activities through annual financial cooperation protocols.