Maceira Embaixadores d'aldeia
“It is a social entrepreneurship initiative, with the main objective of involving the village and the community in the fight against depopulation.”
How did the project start…
The Association of Maceira has operated, since 2016, the Hostel EntryFik in the village of Maceira, this Association being one of the pioneer IPSS’s to open its area of intervention to the tourism sector. When the Association started in this area, it quickly realized that the village gained new life and vitality with the interaction of tourists with the community… that’s how it started to think that it might be interesting to create an initiative that combined tourism and life in the community , thus giving birth to the “ Maceira – Embaixadores D’Aldeia ” project. “Maceira – Embaixadores D’Aldeia”.
The social entrepreneurship initiative
“Maceira – Embaixadores D’Aldeia” is a social entrepreneurship initiative promoted by the Association of Maceira, within the scope of the Portugal Social Innovation community program, with the main objective of involving the village and the community in the fight against depopulation, through collaborative activities of promotion of heritage, culture, and nature, aimed at the development of tourism in the village.
Any heritage promotion initiative obliges us, firstly, to obtain a deeper knowledge of the village and its people; obliges us to collect, register, organize, value testimonies, stories, memories, cultural heritage, and everything that Maceirenses want to share, with importance for the construction of the history of their village. Only then will we know what the truly differentiating and authentic factors are linked to the culture and heritage of the village. Only then will we know how to integrate the tourist offer with the heritage reality of the village and what to include in this offer for visitors.
The project “Maceira – Embaixadores D´Aldeia”
The project Maceira – Embaixadores D’Aldeia” intends to integrate the tourist offer with the patrimonial reality of the village and the region in general, through the offer of experiences based on the observation of the built historical heritage, in the interaction with the natural and cultural heritage and with endogenous production, with the main actors being the people of the village – the “Embaixadores D´Aldeia”.
The people of the village are the Masters of oral knowledge, living human treasures who know the local heritage best and who, by sharing their knowledge, their stories, also share their LOVE for the land. Getting to know a place through the people who live there is a different (and unique) experience, which is not part of tourist packages, but which, once experienced, enables a new relationship with heritage, and, above all, a different connection with the place to visit.
The creation of this project evokes the importance of acquiring and transmitting knowledge and popular knowledge and, above all, the importance of People and their attachment to the place where they have their roots and where they legitimately affirm themselves as their AMBASSADORS. With them, you can easily travel through a profound Portugal to meet other experiences and more genuine realities, rich in authenticity.
Tourism development through community participation
The project “Maceira – Embaixadores D’Aldeia” will not only allow the creation of collective tools for tourism promotion, but will also help to promote active ageing, collective and civic participation, and the enhancement of endogenous resources, based on 3 fundamental pillars:
- Development of a training program for community guides (activity 1 – village ambassadors).
- The definition and management of tourist promotion routes through dynamics of active community participation (activity 2 – inclusive trails).
- Digital inclusion as a form of communication and inclusive tourism marketing (activities 3 – Maceira digital).
“Maceira – Embaixadores D’Aldeia” has the Association of Maceira as its implementing entity and is developed with the support of the initiative Portugal Social Innovation – Partnership for the impact and has the participation of the Municipality of Fornos de Algodres, Parish Council of Maceira, GC & Lopes – Sistemas de Construção Lda., Farmácia Portugal and Restaurant Quinta do Cochel as its main social investors.
