Novas Descobertas Association

Novas Descobertas Association runs education programmes all year round at Campo do Vale, an outdoor learning space within the Vale da Lama farm near Lagos, in the Barlavento area of the Algarve. The space was designed collaboratively, and the programmes combine personal development with ecological and social regeneration. The association was founded in 1994 as Projecto Novas Descobertas and has worked in regenerative education in the region for more than 30 years. Its programmes reach a wide range of people: - summer holiday camps and free-time activities for children and youth - school farm days for students from 1st to 12th grade - residential holiday camps for children and young people - capacity-building workshops and courses - Erasmus+ international programmes - volunteering opportunities One of its main initiatives is the Ecosystem Regeneration Camp. The learning there is hands-on, and it builds self-understanding, communication skills and bonds between participants, their communities and the natural landscape. The association is committed to social inclusion and equity, and it actively works to reach learners from disadvantaged social and financial backgrounds. Diversity, inclusion, innovation and regeneration are the values behind every programme and partnership it builds. The teaching goes further than tactical sustainability skills alone: participants are given space to build regenerative connections between themselves, their communities and the landscape. Campo do Vale is close to an estuary and the Atlantic Ocean, and that setting shapes both the indoor and the outdoor activities. The association keeps measuring the impact of its work, using what it learns to refine existing programmes and develop new ones. Over the long term, it wants to cultivate regenerative mindsets in individuals and communities across Portugal and beyond.