Students of the Superpower School – most of whom are young people at risk of social exclusion – do not only develop their skills and talents such as cooking, photography or creative writing. The school, run as a volunteer programme by the Portuguese association Movimento Transformers, also equips them with skills and knowledge that will help them build self-esteem and become active members of society. We found out more from Movimento Transformers' Joana Moreira.

EESC info: What prompted you to launch your project or initiative?

We believe that the reason young people don't engage is not because they don't want to make a difference, but because they haven't yet found the best way to do so. It was on this premise that we created the Transformers movement, allowing young people to contribute to their communities using their talents.

How has your project been received? Have you had any feedback from the people you've helped?

The project has been a success and we have already mobilised more than 6 000 young people across the country. Many of our trainees have become mentors, sharing the skills they learned with other young people, establishing an informal cycle of knowledge and a real systemic impact.

How will you use this specific funding to provide further help in the community? Are you already planning any new projects?

With this funding we'll be able to increase our impact by working with more young people at national level. We'll also resume our annual event, TCONF (a conference by young people for young people), this year focusing on young people's mental health.

What advice would you give to other organisations in terms of achieving results with such activities and programmes?

To work together with others, have an advocacy strategy, recruit the best people into their teams and ask for help when needed. We believe that championships are never won by working alone, and we always need allies so we can bring about real change in public policy and have a positive impact.

Do you think the EU is doing enough to help disadvantaged youth? Would you have any advice or recommendations for specific actions?

I believe that the path is being well travelled, with exchange programmes for young people to discover the world, giving them opportunities for training and for participation. However, I would like to see more sharing of other organisations' best practices, as there are methodologies that can cross borders; for example, our Superpower Schools programme, which could be implemented by any EU organisation working with disadvantaged young people.