Foreign adolescents living in Portugal: Quality of life and school experiences.

The present study intends to (1) analyze the differences regarding the quality of life between young foreigners and young Portuguese adolescents; (2) understand the relationship between variables related to the school context and the quality of life of foreign adolescents living in Portugal. In all, 8215 adolescents participated in this study, and only the sub-sample of 578 foreigners was considered. 50.3% are boys, aged between 10 and 22 years old. Foreign students in Portugal have a lower well-being index than Portuguese students and a worse relationship with peers and teachers. Foreign girls like school more than boys, have less difficulties in school and have a higher perception of security at this context. On the other hand, they have a lower perceived academic competence and a worse relationship with peers. The importance of developing programs to promote socioemotional skills, empowering teachers and educators, and promoting the adoption of an inclusive model in schools is highlighted.

Ten years of "CHOICES" in Portugal: four generations, a real resilient opportunity.

"Escolhas" ("Choices") is a Portuguese programme that aims to promote children and youth social inclusion in deprived socioeconomic contexts. The present study aims to identify internal and external resources perceived by children and adolescents that participated in the programme, to understand the impact in life contexts, and to identify the resources nominated by their family, project professionals and partners. A qualitative method was used in order to analyze 365 discourses from four different groups: children and adolescents (149), family (40), project professionals (126) and project partners (50). The model used was Benard's Conceptual Model for Resilience and Youth Development. The conclusions highlight the success and relevance of Programa Escolhas ("CHOICES") regarding the children and the adolescents and their families, by promoting social inclusion in deprived socioeconomic contexts.