Ponto Vermelho: a circle of solidarity

This is the reality. The society we live in has seen better days. Today, we all feel closely the reflections of a declining economy and the consequences that this brought to the society. Low purchasing power, low capacity for sustainability of families and hence arise questions that reflect the community in which we live. The aim of providing quality of life of the family took him out on the basis of the need to survive as a family, in many cases. The aim of providing quality of life of the family is subtracted as a function of the need to survive as a family, in many cases.

However, it is in the most troubled times that man reveals his true strength: the ability to help. The contribution of each person has a direct impact on the life of another, regardless of the context. It is in this scope that arise our goals. Ponto Vermelho has taken since its creation, a commitment to solidarity, help and assistance.

Our shop stands out as a component of solidarity by selling goods at prices which allow for greater purchasing power for people and their families, but not only ...

more is revealed behind the curtain. A team of volunteers is helping with the selection of the best articles to give people the chance to have quality at a good price. In addition, we provide families the opportunity to purchase sets of clothing through their own requests. Another part of the clothing is donated to selected charities, and the remaining clothing is delivered to a recycling company that, in the same line selection, deals with the recycling of clothes in bad state and sends the clothes in better condition to the developing countries. The clothes we receive are donated entirely by the community and the institutions that surround us, thus it is contribution to the whole mechanism of solidarity. Finally, all revenues generated by our store are dedicated solely to finance the remaining projects of the Red Cross, which allows us to act in several areas of intervention.

As you can see, Ponto Vermelho is more than just a store. It is above all an important part of a circle of solidarity and mutual aid, which involves the whole community. The contribution of all is crucial in order to achieve the desired harmony between all parts of the massive project, which is creating a future that aims for justice and social balance.

Contribute, volunteer, provide ... and be a part of this team, towards a better future!

Energy... use only yours!

It is a significant intervention in the prevention of drug addiction. The Occupation of Free Time responds to the need of filling empty moments with activities that provide life skills, teach values and rules and give young people equipment to stay away from drug abuse.

The Red Cross Youth – Braga organizes, for the third time, a +ATITUDE Tournament that involves the youngsters of the Braga centers´ four schools: EB 2,3 André Soares, Francisco Sanches, Frei Caetano Brandão e Real. This tournament involves approximately 300 youngsters in male and female teams. 

In the past two months the students of these schools competed in rounds that now qualify them to play at the finals that will take place next Monday and Tuesday (4th and 5th of July between 9:00 and 12:00) at the fields of the Rodovia Sports Complex.

It should be noted that these activities are a part of the +ATITUDE project, directed to prevent drug addiction. It involves approximately 900 young people from the center of Braga which attend the 2nd and 3rd cycle, and is funded by the Office for drugs and drug addiction.

Human Rights and the cultural relativism: what path?

During the Workshop “Human Rights: a multicultural approach”, which took place on July 14^th at Estaleiro Cultural Velha-a-Branca, at 21.45…the Red Cross Youth reflected on…

Considered a little bit more than what the government recommends, the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights of 1948 introduced a renewed language of the Human Rights. Adapted and proclaimed by the General Assembly in its resolution 217-A (III), on the 10^th of December 1984, with 48 votes in favor, none against and 8 that restrained from voting from the part of South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Poland, Ukraine and the Soviet Union, this documented served as a starting point from the first to the series of activities, in and out the United Nations, with an objective to guarantee the application of the rights defined by it.

The objective of the Declaration was explicitly as the very preamble "to promote (...) the universal and effective respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms" and provide a public world that was founded on respect for human dignity. In fact, the Universal Declaration sought to reconstruct the value of the human, which was degraded by the horror committed during the 2^nd World War that had given rise to serious abuses of human rights.

However, it remains that the Declaration which was suppose to be universal is seen throughout the international community as a legal means to achieve legitimacy by states. A major impediment to this is the controversy surrounding the question whether human rights can be universal or culturally relative.

Now, each culture has its own discourse on human rights that relates to the specifics of that culture. The relativistic theories suggest that the universal discourse of human rights and their values ​​follow exclusively the West, focusing on the centrality of the individual, the primacy of rights over duties and priority given to the conflict over the idea of ​​reconciliation. Therefore, West has left its mark, making it difficult to attempt to universalize the rights envisaged in the Declaration. Indeed, different cultures, different ways to see the individual and there is no single universal model.

For the proponents of universalism, the absence of a minimum standard applies to all living beings, causing a vacuum of anarchy and intellectually irresponsible, leaving room for violent practices of illegitimacy of human rights in favor of the cultural argument. In fact the Human Rights are universal because they speak about respect for all individuals and their condition as human beings. Indeed, the universalist thesis should not override the particularities of each culture, nor the relativist thesis set aside a common basis, an internationally recognized minimum standard, but must seek a flexibility that can be achieved through a speech inter-civilizations, leading to the multicultural conception about the human rights.

                                                                                                       

                                                                                                          Alina Carvalho

We would like to invite you to participate in the end of the year party that will take place on June 17^th, at 17.30, at the School Center Valley of Lamaçães, organized in partnership with the Association of Parents and Guardians and the Project “Geração Tecla”.

The activities will include a performance of capoeira, followed by the presentation of the activities of particular classes and ending with the distribution of diplomas to the finalists.

The second part of the evening involve outdoor activities with the performance of Azeituna, UM, Folk and Gypsy music.

The collaboration of the Red Cross Youth and the BabeliUM

The Red Cross Youth is joining the BabeliUM, a language center at the University of Minho, through the Project MEET, which begins to be considered more and more as a resource for international students.

We would like to let you know about  the 21st Summer School Class- Portuguese as a Foreign Language- that will start on the first day of July.

All the candidates who are represented by the Red Cross Youth through the Project MEET will have a  discount of € 100 on the total price of the course, therefore, it is worth considering.

If you have any additional questions, please don´t hesitate to write to projectomeet.brg@ gmail.com

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