CAISA
CAISA is a non-profit organization. We intervene with people, communities, institutions and/or associations. Thus, our target audience is quite broad, representing the population residing in the north of Portugal, regardless of gender, age or nationality. We operate in the areas of education, culture, social and health, with people of all origins and ages, with a strong focus on issues of art, music, culture and the environment.
We are divided into departments: Education, Culture, Social, National and International Projects and Health.
In the Education department, we have TOCA - Academia de Artes Performativas, in which we involve students from 6 to 65 years old, in the teaching of arts and music, especially its fusion between Classical/ Traditional/ Contemporary languages. Currently, the classes have more than 40 students, covering instruments from drums, violin, guitar, piano, saxophone, accordion, among others. In addition, we teach musical expression, creative dance and English in our educational partners. We are responsible for Curriculum Enrichment Activities at the Padre Benjamim Salgado School Group, in which we teach Performing Arts, Recreational English, Mathematical Games and Body and Sports Education, to around 400 students from the 1st CEB. We have the Teófilo Braga Senior University, where we teach various disciplines to the senior population, namely choir, ensemble, cavaquinhos, painting, among others.
In the cultural department, we have the Mantas e Retalhos project, which consists of an artistic musical group with voices and percussion using alternative elements and involves children, adults and the elderly. We have CLAV - Centro e Laboratório Artístico de Vermil, which is a decentralized creative platform to support artistic production, also allowing for greater logistical support and training for artists. In our facilities, we receive musical projects of great national value. These projects, faced with difficulties in finding suitable spaces, use CAISA as a space to create, test and experiment. We organize festivals with a great impact in the region, such as the Eco Fest Curviã Music Festival, which was held for the first time in 2018 and the Peles International Drum Fest, which began in 2016 and is now an annual festival.
In the social department, we have a Community Center dedicated to the senior population. We provide social support to more than 200 elderly people in situations of risk and/or isolation and loneliness. We have an Informal Caregiver Support Office - West Caregiver and we have a service of assistance and social monitoring.
In the national and international projects department, we develop local and international volunteer projects, in partnership with various institutions, such as the IPDJ, in Portugal and at European level, within the scope of ESC and Erasmus+.
In the health department, we have a specialized and non-typified home support service, with support in the preparation of medication, follow-up to consultations and medical examinations, nursing screenings and nursing and psychological care. We also have the CECA - Center for Cognitive Stimulation and Autonomy, a space specialized in working with neurological disorders and/or diseases, such as dementia.