Even though African arts and culture have been at the core of BYP’s work since its founding in 1996, the Association has always sought to use its artistic work as a tool to have a positive social impact on the lives of its young people. It is through the participation in African dance and music that BYP’s children and young people discover and explore their African cultural roots and experience new cultures and traditions. BYP believes this helps young people to reinforce their self-esteem and feeling of belonging, thus allowing them to become active members of society and responsible leaders in their communities.
Since 2006, and together with a number of local partners, BYP has reinforced and widened its scope of activities to offer a wider range of initiatives reaching a larger number of children and young people.
Between 2006 and 2018, BYP worked in the Oeiras Municipality with children and young people at risk for academic failure or drop-out with the aim of providing them with new horizons through vocational guidance and new life projects that lead them to other educational offers (mainstream or alternative).
The issues of dropping out and academic failure are complex. BYP thus involved the entire community to create and provide educational after-school activities related to dance, music, sports and other areas.
Between March 2019 and December 2020, BYP applied for a project within the Choices Program to intervene in Marvila (Lisbon), in partnership with the managing entity Associação Jorge Pina.
BYP thus broadened its scope intervention to Marvila (Lisbon) where it is developing the project “Dá-te a Marvila – E7G” with the aim of contributing to the social inclusion of children and young people, aged between 6 and 25 years old, with risk behaviours, promoting their academic success and the development of transversal skills through intercultural dialogue, the arts and sports, leveraging a social change in the Condado and Alfinetes neighbourhoods, among others.