The Regional Youth Directorate hosted the Regional Youth and Student Association Meeting (ERAJE 2026) on Friday, 30 October, at the Savoy Palace in Funchal. About 70 young association leaders and representatives of regional, national and European bodies took part.
A highlight was the presentation of RUP Youth Labs, a 30-month project funded by Erasmus+. It involves partners from Madeira, the Azores, Réunion and Greece, and includes training, international exchanges and pilot projects, among them a youth exchange in Madeira.
Regional Secretary Paula Margarido described associations as a school of citizenship and introduced the acronym ECPD (Listening, Commitment, Participation and Decision). She also cited 273,300 euros allocated to youth and student associations in 2026.