Pombal recruits young volunteers to clear invasive species

The Pombal parish council has launched EcoGeração Pombal, part of the national Youth Volunteering for Nature and Forests programme, run by the Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ). From 10 August to 12 September, volunteers aged 16 to 21 will clean leisure areas and remove invasive plant species at the Cotrofe Ethno Park, working up to five hours a day. In return they receive a daily allowance, insurance, training, equipment and IPDJ certification valid for school and curricular purposes. Registration is done through the IPDJ's youth programmes platform. The national scheme, running since 2017 with 1.5 million euros in annual funding, has previously supported nearly 1,700 initiatives.