The conference "Educating for Relationships" marked the opening of the 2026/2027 school year in Valongo, held on September 8 at Auditório António Macedo. The mayor of Valongo Municipality, Paulo Esteves Ferreira, opened the session with a question directed at the audience about memories of school days, emphasizing the decisive role of teachers in the experiences and memories that accompany people throughout their lives.
The event brought together education professionals to reflect on the importance of relationships in learning, well-being and educational success. Rui Marques, from Relational Lab, spoke about "Better Relationships for Better Education", highlighting the centrality of bonds and meaningful relationships in building a more humane school, in an approach aligned with the municipality's Relational Education program.
Daniela Ferreira, from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Porto, addressed interculturality and the importance of people and relationships, drawing attention to the diversity present in schools and the need to transform difference into an opportunity for encounter, dialogue, participation and belonging. Daniela Gonçalves, from the School of Education of Paula Frassinetti, spoke about pedagogical innovation and the importance of relationships, noting that innovating is doing better for the learner, promoting participation, autonomy and well-being.
The overarching idea that remained for the new school year was that educational innovation does not happen only in activities or methodologies, but also, and above all, in the quality of the relationships that give them life, summarized in the phrase: "The best learning arises from the best relationships."
