Ana Bernardino

Master’s degree in Clinical and Health Psychology from the University of Beira Interior and a full member of the Portuguese Psychologists Association. Her professional practice has been focused on the social and community field. In 2016, she took on the support and follow-up of diverse social issues, being responsible for informing and guiding individuals and families about their rights and duties, as well as about access to appropriate resources, facilities and services for each situation. She joined the CooLabora team in 2021, giving voice to children and young people who are victims of domestic violence within the Psychological Support Office.

Antónia Silvestre

Cooperator and member of CooLabora since 2013. She has worked in social intervention since 1996, with experience in vocational training, environmental education, solidarity economy and the social inclusion of people at risk or in situations of social exclusion. Throughout this path, she highlights her work with children, young people and families, as well as her role in the creation and coordination of the solidarity economy group Troca a Tod@s. She holds a degree in Sociology from the University of Beira Interior, where she also completed the curricular year of a Master’s degree and a Postgraduate course in Environmental Management.

Átila Sá

Economics student, currently attending the 12th grade at Frei Heitor Pinto Secondary School. Of Angolan nationality, he is 18 years old and a federated junior football player at Clube Académico do Fundão. With a strong interest in sports and music, he is discovering his role as a collaborator in community intervention with young people and their families. He joined the CooLabora team at the beginning of the 9th generation of the Programa Escolhas, where he works as a Community Facilitator in the social inclusion project Quero Ser Mais. He hopes to be a role model and inspiration for the participating young people.

Bruna Pinto

Master’s degree in Clinical and Health Psychology from the University of Beira Interior and full member of the Portuguese Psychologists Association. She has developed her professional practice in the field of community mental health, working with people in situations of social vulnerability. At the end of 2024, she joined the CooLabora team as a psychologist at the Support Office for Victims of Domestic Violence.

Diana Silva

Member of CooLabora since 2012, she works in the prevention and combat of domestic and gender-based violence and is responsible for providing support to victims at the Belmonte and Covilhã offices. She holds a degree in Criminology from the School of Criminology of the Faculty of Law of the University of Porto. She also has a specialization in Autobiographical Methodology for Women Victims of Domestic Violence from Libera Università dell’Autobiografia, in Anghiari, Italy.

Elisabete Palma

Degree in Economics from Lusófona University of Humanities and Technologies, with postgraduate studies in Economics and Local Government Policies and Territorial Marketing from the University of Beira Interior. Since 1999, she has worked in the financial and administrative coordination and monitoring of local development projects. She joined the CooLabora team in January 2023, where she is responsible for the financial and administrative management of projects.

Graça Rojão

Cooperator and co-founder of CooLabora. Over the past 25 years, her professional activity has been closely linked to civic and solidarity-based initiatives. She is particularly interested in issues related to the solidarity economy and gender equality. She is a sociologist, with a specialization in Gender Equality and a postgraduate degree in Project Management. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Beira Interior, where she conducted research on degrowth and care in local initiatives.

Inês Fonseca

Degree in Criminology from the School of Criminology of the Faculty of Law of the University of Porto. Her first contact with CooLabora was in 2022, when she joined the team of the Saudinha Project. She later took on responsibilities in the Tecer a DiverCidade Project, where her work in the field of intercultural mediation with Roma and migrant communities stood out. She currently works as a Social Intervention Officer in the Quero Ser Mais E9G Project, focusing on intervention with children and young people at risk or in situations of social exclusion.

Lia Antunes

I was born in Covilhã in 1988. I am many things, among them, an architect and researcher,
PhD in Architecture (DARQ University of Coimbra). I have known and admired CooLabora since its foundation. Here, starting in April 2025 and conducted by Maria Gomes, we are promoting the Viés Choir – Voices in Intervention, where everyone is welcome to sing along!
I am interested in the common good, solidarity, Women’s History and the rights to housing, to
the city, and to live on a healthy planet.

Pedro Peixoto

He holds a degree in Psychology from the Univesidade da Beira Interior and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Contemporary Anthropology at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. He is part of the CooLabora’s Cuidadania project, where he develops citizenship education initiatives. At CooLabora, his social commitment takes shape, meaning, and direction. He is deeply interested in the relationships between art, nature, and society, believing that creativity and contact with the natural world are essential ways to promote well-being, critical reflection, and community involvement. Driven by the values ​​of activism, cooperativism, and social justice, he seeks to contribute to more supportive and participatory communities capable of transforming challenges into opportunities for collective growth.

Rosa Carreira

Cooperator and co-founder of CooLabora, she has been working in social intervention since 1998. Throughout her professional journey, her work with schools in the prevention of violence and the promotion of a culture of peace among children and young people stands out. She has also worked closely with Roma communities, particularly in the creation of educational resources to combat prejudice. She studied Social Anthropology at ISCTE and Public Policies at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra.

Outros membros

Amélia Augusto

Professor at the University of Beira Interior, with a PhD in Sociology. A committed cooperator and researcher, she believes that scientific knowledge, combined with innovative social intervention practices, contributes to building a fairer, more supportive and more equal society.

André Barata Nascimento

Professor at UBI – University of Beira Interior, trained as a philosopher. A cooperator who found in CooLabora a place where it is possible to combine the practice of equality, the uncompromising fight against discrimination, and the willingness to imagine a better world.

Francisco Tiago Antunes Paiva

Professor at UBI. PhD in Fine Arts, designer and architect. Cooperator and co-founder. He is professionally and civically interested in the relationship between the arts and social, urban and territorial dynamics.

Gracinda Pereira

Founding cooperator, with training in Management, she worked from 2001 to 2021 in the financial and administrative monitoring of projects promoting social development. She advocates social justice based on values of equity, equality, respect for diversity and the application of Human Rights in all areas of human activity. 

Jesuíno António Moreira Simões

Degree in Physics and Master’s degree in Chemistry (UBI). Physics and Chemistry teacher at Quinta das Palmeiras Secondary School, Covilhã. Founding cooperator of CooLabora. He believes it is possible to build a fair society where discrimination becomes a meaningless word.

Maria Teresa Nobre Correia

PhD in Modern Languages. Secondary school teacher. She is interested in different ways of helping to promote a life of dignity.

Marta Vilarinho

Social worker and family therapist. Master’s degree in Family and Social Systems, with a specialization in intervention in the field of addictions. In her free time, she enjoys interpreting reality through colours and stories discovered on canvas or through life experiences. She is grateful every day for the existence of CooLabora and proudly takes part in its initiatives.

Paulo Dias

Professor at UBI, with a PhD in Musical Informatics. Cooperator and co-founder. He believes the world can be a better place if we fight for it and sees in CooLabora that determination.

Rita Salvado

Treasurer of the Board. Professor at UBI, Director of the Wool Museum, with a PhD in Textile Engineering. She is interested in the collective valorisation of wool culture and its impact on local development.

Sónia Sá

Member of the General Assembly of CooLabora and Invited Assistant Professor at the University of Beira Interior. She teaches in the areas of strategic communication and audiovisual studies and conducts research in participatory culture, gender equality and television. She holds a Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD in Communication Sciences and considers CooLabora her second home.