Projeto de animação sociocultural - Incluir SADIO: uma comunidade viva para além de quatro paredes

This project was developed at the Quinta do Conde Community Center, involving a sample of six elderly beneficiaries of the Home Support Service. Individual and collective strategies and activities in the scope of Sociocultural Animation were explored to help minimize social isolation and promote the active participation of this population. Key themes essential to understanding the study were addressed, including the concept of Sociocultural Animation, aging and old age, active aging, the concept of Ageing in Place, social isolation, and the community as identity and participation in community development. Action research was the methodology employed, supported by direct participant observation and informal conversations as primary techniques. During the diagnostic phase, questionnaires and interviews were administered to the participants. In the evaluation phase, questionnaires were administered to the users and the Home Support Service team. Field notes and audiovisual recordings complemented the entire study. The results demonstrate that the project, through a series of Sociocultural Animation activities, contributed to both personal and collective change. On a personal level, it enabled each participant to acquire new skills by experiencing different stimuli and to revalidate existing skills. From a collective perspective, participants interacted with one another, discovering shared characteristics and interests and establishing connections that led to a new experience: collaboratively creating a tourist guide reflecting both individual and collective cultural identity.