Project- ECOS - Cooperative of Education, Cooperation and Development
In order to encourage young people to be active in defense of their Sexual and Reproductive Rights, the Algarve region decided to "TALK ABOUT IT!”
The project “TALK ABOUT IT: Cooperation and Youth Participation for the Access of Sexual and Reproductive Rights in the Algarve” was released at the beginning of this year, with the main objectives of creating spaces of dialogue between decision-makers, organizations working with youth and youth, highlighting the issues related to the area of Sexual and Reproductive Rights while, at the same time, encouraging youth participation within this area.
“TALK ABOUT IT” is promoted by ECOS - Cooperative of Education Cooperation and Development, who has been developing a well-recognized work in the area of youth participation, and relies on a close partnership with “APF-Family Planning Association” the fundamental organization for Sexual Education and Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Portugal, and also with the campaign “My Body My Rights” from Amnesty International. The project also engaged in partnership with various decision-makers like municipalities, regional authorities of Health, Education and Youth and several local and regional organizations, networks and informal groups of young people from the Algarve region. 
This innovative project expects to be an important contribute for the raise of active participation of young people in the development of the local and regional strategies within the area concerning the access of young people to their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Mainly, we expect to achieve these goal, mainly, through the following activities:
- Creating spaces for dialogue and cooperation between youth, decision makers and various actors with social responsibility in the field of Youth Sexual and Reproductive Rights. Currently, this network consists of various organizations of the Algarve region, such as the Regional Directorate of Youth, of Health and of Education, Student Association of Algarve University and specific department of students in the field of Health and Social Education, the projects of “Escolhas Program” with youth with fewer opportunities, and several other organizations working with youth and informal youth groups of the Algarve region. This is a space for collective planning and development of the activities previewed in the project, and it aims to be an open space for dialogue, collective reflection and creation of synergies between decision makers, youth organizations and youth;
- Helding a Youth Consultation in order to map their obstacles and difficulties concerning the Access of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, as well as their proposals of measures to overcome them. This process of Youth Consultation can be carried out by using different tools attractive and motivational to Young people such as - interviews, focus groups, assemblies simulations game, artistic workshops, dynamic online questionnaires and, specially, through the use of methodologies of non-formal education - in order to emphasize the diagnostic process and participatory development. The hearing would provide the opportunity to discover what the Sexual and Reproductive Rights are. Moreover to young people would be encouraged to take part in various types of activities- like f.e. volunteering service- within this particular area.
- Creating an event that can ensure the visibility of this project, of the topics of Youth Participation and Sexual Health and Rights in the region, and that can allow the sharing and creation of synergies between different initiatives, as well as bring some good practices and opportunities at national level to the region.
- Developing a final publication that can reflect the reality of the region in terms of data, existing services/ projects/ organizations on the field, current applicable laws and also present the obstacles and proposals mapped by the young people through the consultation process.
The planning and development of the event and publication will be held within working groups of the regional network of partners. This will allow also to develop new competences on working together and to map the existing difficulties on collecting specific data about young people in the region.
This project aims to have a strong “participative” component, not only from the different entities, organizations and individuals working on this area, but also from young people. As well as strong “cooperation” component, giving visibility and promotion to numerous initiatives and existing service, putting in dialog and collective construction different actors and also supporting youth held initiatives from young activist through the contact with the partners.
We strongly believe that “TALK ABOUT IT” project will boost a new dynamic of youth participation on the development of the strategies, services and offers created for young people, so they can be effective response to their needs and characteristic and bearing in mind the variety of their individualities. Moreover, we believe it will also improve the communication between youth, organizations and decision-makers within their Social Rights and their Well-Being.