The facilities of the School of Technology and Management, in Barcelos, yesterday hosted the signing of a cooperation protocol between EMEC – Barcelos Municipal Education Company and APM – Minho Skating Association, with a view to implementing and promoting skating classes. skating in 1st Cycle schools in the municipality of Barcelos, all of this as part of the promotion of Curricular Enrichment Activities (AEC), under the responsibility of EMEC.
The ceremony was attended by Jorge Cruz, president of the Board of Directors of EMEC, as well as Sara Magalhães, member of the institution, and Constantino Menezes and Alcindo Pinto, respectively vice-president and technical director of APM, all this under the ‘supervision’ of José Paulo Matias, president of the Minho Skating Association and also Councilor of CM Barcelos, who, due to his accumulated functions, ended up being a ‘facilitator’ element in the entire process.
“It was something we had been talking about for a long time and we also wanted to take skating to schools. It was when we were little that we were able to start attracting people to practice skating. We found this opportunity and, with this support between the two institutions, we were able to establish this agreement that I hope will be successful”, said José Paulo Matias.
“EMEC, in partnership with the Chamber, is responsible for the AEC’s, which have been implemented in such a way that, at the moment, we have coverage in the order of 90 percent. When we took on responsibility for the company it was around 60 percent and, thanks to a new dynamic that we created, we managed to reach this percentage of coverage, which is extraordinary. We are talking about almost 3,500 students”, highlighted Jorge Cruz. “We want kids to start this activity to develop themselves. It is essential that they have fun and detach themselves from less appropriate paths in their growth,” he added.
