The PROPS consortium is a strategic partnership composed of four higher education institutions in Portugal: the University of Algarve, Universidade Aberta, the University of Beira Interior, and the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém.
The PROPS project has received funding from the Foundation for Science and Technology, recognizing the importance and impact of this initiative. The central objective of the PROPS project is the development of interactive narratives that promote pluralistic discourse, seeking to combat online hate speech and its detrimental consequences for society. To achieve this goal, the PROPS project brings together the expertise of highly qualified researchers and collaborators, the majority of whom belong to the Research Center for Arts and Communication (CIAC).
CIAC, recognized for its interdisciplinary research in the fields of art and communication, plays a fundamental role in the PROPS team. CIAC researchers and collaborators bring complementary expertise, covering fields such as digital art, interactive communication, media literacy, and social psychology. This diversity of knowledge and experience is a significant asset in addressing the challenge of hate speech in the digital age.
By uniting efforts and knowledge from the four educational institutions, the PROPS project seeks to develop innovative solutions to combat online hate speech through the power of interactive narratives. These engaging and participatory narratives have the potential to promote empathy, constructive dialogue, and mutual understanding, contributing to the construction of a more inclusive and tolerant society.
In addition to these four higher education institutions, the project also involved the Ria Formosa Training Center, the Dr. Francisco Fernandes Lopes School Group, the Gil Eanes School Group, and the Loulé Secondary School.
University of Algarve → CIAC – Research Center for Arts and Communication
The University of Algarve (UAlg) currently has about 10,000 students, 20% of whom are international, coming from over 90 nationalities, with Brazil standing out as the country with the highest representation. With 43 years of existence, it appears for the fifth time in the Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Rankings 2022, which analyzes the performance of higher education institutions established 50 years ago or less, standing out in the indicator that evaluates international projection. This year, it is once again included in the list of the world’s best in the Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2022, particularly excelling in the area of Hospitality & Tourism Management, ranking between 76-100, followed by the area of Oceanography, ranking between 151-200. It also integrates for the fourth time the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which globally assess the performance and contribution of universities to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UAlg was positioned in the range of 201-300 in the overall classification of THE Impact Rankings, among 1591 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from 112 countries. UAlg offers undergraduate and postgraduate training courses in its various areas of expertise: Arts, Communication, and Heritage; Social Sciences and Education; Health Sciences and Technologies; Exact and Natural Sciences; Economics, Management, and Tourism; Engineering and Technologies. Its privileged location near Faro International Airport and the large number of new air routes connecting to major Portuguese cities (Porto and Lisbon) and European cities, as well as the excellent conditions offered by UAlg and the region, increasingly establish the Southern Academy of the country as a central and international hub.
Polytechnic Institute of Santarém
The Polytechnic Institute of Santarém-IPS is a public institution of higher education whose mission is the production and dissemination of knowledge, culture, science, technology, arts, and research. It is aimed at students and the surrounding community, serving as a regional, national, and international reference, also ensuring citizens’ access to higher education and lifelong learning education. The relevance that this institution has achieved within the higher education system is reflected in the high number of young people who apply to its courses, as well as in the high employability rates of its graduates. It has five schools (Agriculture; Sports Sciences; Education; Management and Technology; and Health School) and around 4000 students in all its course cycles (professional courses; undergraduate degrees; and master’s degrees). Within the scope of its research activity and articulation with the socio-economic community, various scientific domains and disruptive projects have been deepened. However, over the past 7 years, projects related to the digital and socio-economic inclusion of young people and the elderly, including those with intellectual disabilities (IDD), have been developed and have had a significant impact on society. IPS has taken the lead in the area of Digital Literacy for Inclusion in the Job Market for IDD citizens, and a unique and pioneering course in this subject has been created in Portugal, with different learning approaches, innovative resources, and new methodology.
University of Beira Interior
The University of Beira Interior is a nationally and internationally renowned institution in the fields of teaching, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Increasingly concerned with quality, UBI has been investing in the creation of well-equipped laboratories, the expansion of its facilities, engagement in national and international research projects, and a qualified teaching staff. Two of the trademarks of this University are the provision of laboratories in all areas of teaching and close teacher-student proximity. With around 7000 students, this institution already offers more than 29 undergraduate or master’s courses, about 40 second-cycle/master’s courses, and about 25 third-cycle/doctorate courses, distributed across its five faculties: Faculty of Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, Faculty of Arts, and Faculty of Health Sciences. The mission of the University of Beira Interior is to promote the qualification, production, transmission, critique, and dissemination of high-level knowledge, culture, science, and technology through study, teaching, and research. UBI plays a crucial role in the social and economic development of the region and the country; a university capable of promoting and nurturing technology-based companies, advanced services, which is an innovation hub capable of transforming the Beira Interior into a region of great human wealth and technological potential.
Universidade Aberta
Established in 1988, Universidade Aberta (UAb) is the only public institution of distance higher education in Portugal. Due to its mission and nature, UAb employs the most advanced distance learning methodologies and technologies in its educational activities, aiming to promote education without geographical restrictions or physical barriers. Additionally, the university pays special attention to the dissemination of Portuguese language and culture within the scope of the Portuguese-speaking community, encompassing migrant communities and Portuguese-speaking countries. As a result, UAb offers higher education (bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees) and Lifelong Learning courses accessible worldwide. All its educational offerings are aligned with the Bologna Process and have been delivered through online teaching since 2008 when UAb became a prominent European institution in the field of e-learning and online learning. Universidade Aberta was awarded the title of Honorary Member of the Order of Merit by the President of the Republic on November 29, 2018.
Ria Formosa Training Center
The Ria Formosa Training Center is a public entity operating at the João de Deus Secondary School, under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, originating from the association of schools in the municipalities of Faro and Olhão. The Ria Formosa Training Center aims to coordinate and identify training needs, in cooperation with the respective bodies of the associated schools; develop and implement annual and multi-annual training plans; certify short-term training actions; promote and disseminate initiatives of educational interest for schools, teachers, non-teaching staff, and the educational community; create, manage, and disseminate educational resources to support schools and professional practices; support and monitor pedagogical projects in associated schools; establish protocols with higher education institutions regarding the identification of training needs, the implementation of action plans, innovation, and the evaluation of training and its impacts; and participate in national training programs.
Dr. Francisco Fernandes Lopes School Group
The Dr. Francisco Fernandes Lopes School Group began operating at the end of the 2011/2012 school year, more precisely on July 3, 2012, with the inauguration of the provisional administrative commission, following the approval of its creation by the decree of June 28, 2012, by His Excellency the Secretary of State for Education and School Administration. The new organizational unit, resulting from the aggregation processes provided for in articles 6 and 7 of decree-law no. 75/2008, of April 22, was constituted by the integration of the following preschool education establishments and schools of different levels and cycles of education: Dr. Francisco Fernandes Lopes Secondary School (headquarters of the group), EB1/JI da Fuseta, and Dr. João Lúcio Basic School of the 2nd and 3rd cycles, organizational units that were part of the extinct Dr. João Lúcio School Group, and EB1/JI de Moncarapacho and Dr. António João Eusébio Basic School of the 2nd and 3rd cycles, organizational units that were part of the extinct Moncarapacho School Group. Of the 5 units that constitute it, one is located in the municipality of Olhão (Dr. Francisco Fernandes Lopes School), and the remaining ones in the Moncarapacho-Fuseta parish.
Gil Eanes School Group
The Gil Eanes School Group is located in the municipality of Lagos, in the parishes of Odiáxere, Union of the Parishes of Bensafrim and Barão de São João, and Union of the Parishes of Lagos. Established in July 2010 by directive of the former Regional Directorate of Education of the Algarve, the Gil Eanes School Group resulted from the merger of the former Vertical School Group of Naus and Gil Eanes Secondary School. In 2012/2013, it was restructured due to the creation of a new school group in the municipality of Lagos, resulting in the following composition: two schools with preschool and 1st cycle of basic education – Ameijeira and No. 3 Basic Schools of Lagos; three schools with 1st cycle of basic education – Odiáxere, Chinicato, and Bensafrim Basic Schools; one school with 2nd and 3rd cycles of basic education – Naus Basic School; and one headquarters school, with 3rd cycle of basic education and secondary education – Gil Eanes Secondary School. The mission of the Gil Eanes School Group is to “promote the success of all students regardless of their individual differences, improving the level of efficiency and effectiveness in the teaching-learning process, in an environment of sharing, innovation, and sustainability.”
Loulé Secondary School
The Loulé Secondary School, built in 1976, is geographically situated in an area of the city of Loulé surrounded by green spaces and sports/leisure facilities, which support educational activities. The Loulé Secondary School assumes the mission of disseminating and applying knowledge, based on the fundamental principles of the Charter of Human Rights, particularly regarding freedom of thought and plurality of critical exercises, promoting education and contributing to the construction of a model of society based on humanistic principles that encompass sustainable development, well-being, and solidarity. Thus, it fully assumes itself as a UNESCO Associated School. The Loulé Secondary School is recognized for its commitment to education, excelling not only in the training of young people but also in the excellence demonstrated through the projects in which it engages and executes. The Loulé Secondary School has a solid foundation of values that include the promotion of inclusion and education for citizenship in various areas such as human rights, sustainable development, and gender equality. This allows for the formation of citizens with a humanistic approach focused on learning, knowledge, cohesion, sustainability, adaptability, flexibility, and boldness.