July 22nd, 2025
From May 9th to June 30th, 15 enthusiastic teenagers from Algueirão-Mem Martins parish, in the municipality of Sintra, Portugal, engaged in the first YoPA spin-off for a dynamic co-creation process.
Following the original YoPA protocol, the project combined participatory methods, systems thinking, and local knowledge to explore the factors that influence young people’s health and daily activity.
Over 14 interactive sessions facilitated by local PhD students from Lusófona University, the teens engaged in:
- Neighbourhood walks and youth-led interviews
- Systems mapping of barriers and opportunities for physical activity
- Creative activities like storytelling, games, and mini-pitches
- Solution-building in small groups
- And a big finale with ice cream, certificates, and shared reflections! 🍦🎉
With support from local stakeholders, the Phase 1 of co-creations sessions had very positive feedback and will inspire the next steps towards creating a tailored intervention for a healthier community.
This spin-off represents an important step in developing the original YoPA protocol into different sites and applying participatory research to empower youth to become co-researchers, change-makers, and advocates for better urban health.
On July 17th, YoPA and its spin-off was presented in the internal scientific event CIDEFES Day, for around 50 researchers in the field of Sports, Physical Education, Physical Activity, Exercise and Health.
If you want to know more about the community and partners of YoPA Portugal and see more pictures, take a look at this page.