The ‘SOS School Action for Tiles’ project is an extension of the PJ’s ‘SOS Tile’ mission, created and coordinated by the PJ’s Museum, which invited all schools and municipal education departments to adhere to their project to help safeguard the legacy of Portuguese tiles.
Around 100 schools the length of the country, from primary level through to universities, and 9,500 people signed up for the project, which saw educational activities focused on Portuguese tile heritage being rolled out in the establishments on Wednesday, 4 May.
The activities aimed to teach students of all ages about the unique characteristics of the traditional tile, current problems affecting historic plaques, such as theft, neglect and vandalism, the “pressing need” to value, protect and enjoy the tiles as well as ensuring their continuation as contemporary architectural elements.