EGF integrates Escola Amiga da Criança in 2022, being one of the main partners of this initiative focused on the themes of Sustainability and Happiness in Schools.

Escola Amiga da Criança and EGF signed a cooperation protocol for the school year 2022/2023, in which they commit to collaborate for the promotion and development of scientific studies on issues related to school, its people and surrounding ecosystems.

Under this partnership, Escola Amiga da Criança and EGF will promote a first study, whose results are expected to be published in the first quarter of 2010, which aims to assess and characterise Happiness in Schools, with the following objectives:

- Characterise the perception of happiness at school among Portuguese students and teachers (from 2nd CEB to Secondary Education), taking into account the following dimensions: hope, commitment, belonging, social and emotional learning and well-being.  The following dimensions will also be considered: Feel well/Meaning; Subjective health; Healthy exercise; Healthy eating (Feel well/Meaning; Subjective health; Move Well; Eat Well, in Marujo & Neto, 2011).

- Assess the influence of climates and/or ecosystems (school, colleagues and family) on students' and teachers' perceptions of happiness.

- Assess the importance that the perception of a sustainable development of the planet has on the perception of happiness.

- Create an observatory, as a long-term project, for the periodic collection of this data, allowing us to compare respondents at the beginning of a study cycle and at the end of it.

- Build a happiness index of Portuguese schools, also a long-term project.

Prizes for schools

The Escola Amiga da Criança awards prizes every year to schools with the best projects in various themes, and EGF has taken on the support of Sustainability projects with special prizes in this category - the possibility of receiving a visit from travelling planetariums and the development of special mascots in the APP Recycle BinGo (www.recyclebingo.pt).

This partnership will also be promoted in the Ecovalor Programme, a school programme that the EGF Group has been developing for more than 20 years and in partnership with municipalities, which offers educational activities to encourage good environmental practices on urban waste, and includes awareness-raising and training activities, workshops, competitions and educational information for the entire school community.

Applications run until 30 June 2023, through the project's official website https://escolaamiga.pt/, where you can also find all the information about the initiative.

The winning project wins €5.000 (five thousand euros) in LeYa books.

Escola Amiga da Criança also awards the winning project in each category with €1000 in LeYa books for the school libraries and additional prizes from the partners involved in the initiative.

About the Escola Amiga da Criança

The Escola Amiga da Criança is a joint initiative of CONFAP (National Confederation of Parents' Associations), LeYa and the psychologist Eduardo Sá, which aims to distinguish and recognise schools that conceive and implement extraordinary ideas, contributing to a happier and more complete development of the child in the school environment.

The 6th edition of the initiative also has the support of the Altice Foundation, REN, Católica of Porto Business School, the Faculty of Education and Psychology of the Portuguese Catholic University, the Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences, the Faculty of Human Motricity of the University of Lisbon, Sociedade Ponto Verde, Associação Mutualista Montepio, The Inventors, Fábrica Centro Ciência Viva of the University of Aveiro, EKUI, ACEGIS Association, Solfut, Maped, Lisbon Zoo and the Oceanarium.

More information at https://escolaamiga.pt/

About EGF

EGF is a leading European company in the environmental sector and a leader in waste treatment and recovery in Portugal. Integrated in the MOTA-ENGIL Group, it is responsible for ensuring the treatment and recovery of waste in the most environmentally correct and economically sustainable way, contributing to the improvement of the quality of life and of the environment.

Waste treatment and recovery systems are managed by 11 concessionary companies (Algar, Amarsul, Ersuc, Resiestrela, Resinorte, Resulima, Suldouro, Valorlis, Valorminho, Valnor, Valorsul), set up in partnership with the municipalities served, which process around 3.3 million tons of municipal waste (RU) annually, serving a population of 6.2 million people spread over 174 municipalities, in an area equivalent to 60% of Portugal.

More information at https://www.egf.pt/

Information: Ana Loureiro |Mobile: 968601711 | E-mail: ana.loureiro@egf.pt