Gulbenkian Aprender doubles number of students supported in Tâmega e Sousa

The second school year of the Gulbenkian Aprender initiative now reaches 300 students, double the number of participants in the 2025/26 academic year. The programme’s activities are also expanding and diversifying. New initiatives include reading and writing clubs, which will take place in school and municipal libraries, as well as internships for 11th-grade students, which are now being launched. These activities complement existing support measures, including English and mathematics clubs, mentoring, social and cultural enrichment programmes, financial support for families to meet essential educational, health and cultural needs, and parenting support.

During the initiative’s first year (2025/26), 127 of the 150 participating students benefited from mentoring, while 22 local professionals received training to support positive parenting. In terms of financial assistance, families allocated the majority of their grants to Education (64%), followed by Health (23%) and Culture (13%).

A range of social and cultural enrichment activities was also organised. The Easter Holiday Camp welcomed 90 students, the Summer Holiday Camp involved 121 students, and the Junior University programme engaged 116 students. In August, 97 students took part in a visit to the city of Bragança to observe the solar eclipse, organised in partnership with Ciência Viva.

The Gulbenkian Aprender initiative supports children and young people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, from 5th to 12th grade, attending 39 school clusters. The programme is a partnership between the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Tâmega Business Institute (Instituto Empresarial do Tâmega), all school clusters and municipalities within the Tâmega e Sousa Intermunicipal Community.

The launch ceremony for the initiative’s second school year took place on 10 October in Paços de Ferreira and brought together around 1,000 participants, including students, family members, teachers, local authorities and partner organisations. The event was also attended by the Minister for Culture, Youth and Sport.