Three iconic neighbourhoods in Greater Lisbon – Bairro Padre Cruz, Bairro do Zambujal and Vale da Amoreira – will become home to the first Gulbenkian Study Centres. The initiative, which seeks to promote equal opportunities by improving learning conditions, will involve 90 children and young people from the 4th to the 12th grade. These students have the potential to improve their school performance and achieve results that will open up new academic and professional horizons.

These Study Centres will support students who are regarded as “invisible” – children and young people who are not eligible for additional study support measures at school because they are not at risk of failing, nor are they eligible for merit-based programmes; students who need more support to achieve better results at school.

This intervention incorporates several approaches. First and foremost, tutoring in Portuguese, mathematics and, as a key factor in their professional future, English. Teachers with teaching experience and knowledge of the national curricula will provide tutoring in small groups.

In addition, efforts will be made to strengthen school-family-community ties, building the necessary bridges to better identify and address risky behaviour so as to create an environment that encourages school success.

A mentoring programme will also be developed, connecting young people with role models, namely Gulbenkian Fellows such as João Bento, CEO of CTT, economist José Carlos Mateus, CFO of Montepio, journalist Pedro Sousa Carvalho, and writer José Vegar.

And finally, the organisation of cultural and exploratory activities that encourage children and young people to expand their horizons, beyond their area of residence.

Why this intervention?

According to the OECD, around 40% of adults in Portugal find it difficult to understand simple texts and solve basic arithmetic problems. In the targeted neighbourhoods, failure and dropout rates are higher than the national average. Moreover, many families in these areas, in addition to their socio-economic vulnerabilities, find it difficult to monitor their children’s schooling, to provide support with learning and homework, and tend not to value school, learning and reading. The Gulbenkian Study Centres have been set up to change this reality, providing specialised support, personal tutoring and an incentive for educational achievement, showing that there is potential to be exploited in these areas.

To put this project into practice, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is working with three local partners with experience in each of the areas:

Associação Nacional de Futebol de Rua (Bairro Padre Cruz, Lisboa)

The Padre Cruz neighbourhood is Lisbon’s largest social housing neighbourhood. The level of education of its inhabitants is low: 64% of the population has only completed primary education; 15% has completed secondary education; only 3.2% of residents have finished university.

Created in 2007, this association uses sport, particularly street football, to promote social change, human development and social inclusion.

Cooperativa Cooperactiva (Bairro do Zambujal, Amadora)

The Zambujal neighbourhood is one of the largest social housing neighbourhoods in Greater Lisbon and is known for its multiculturalism.

For 20 years, it has focused on community intervention, social inclusion and support for children, young people and families in vulnerable situations, namely through activities aimed at preventing school failure, promoting personal and social skills and providing access to culture and sport.

CRIVA (Vale da Amoreira, Moita)

Vale da Amoreira is known for facing social problems such as unemployment, stigmatisation and social exclusion, especially among second-generation immigrants. The school cluster of Baixa da Banheira and Vale da Amoreira has recorded a failure and dropout rate more than double the national average.

With 40 years of activity, CRIVA has responded to several needs of the community over the years.