A new exhibition highlighting community projects from across the Algarve opens this week in Faro, bringing together more than 30 initiatives developed by local communities.
Titled “The Community Map”, the exhibition launches on Friday, March 13 at 6pm at the IPDJ building in Faro. Registration for the opening is free, and the exhibition will remain open until April 5.
Organised by GeekSessions and Local Foundation, the exhibition aims to highlight projects that show what people across the region have been “quietly building” for years, from technology platforms, art and games to civic initiatives and environmental action.
Among the projects featured are Comfy App, a free mental wellbeing application designed for teenagers aged 12 to 18; Faro Resolve, which connects residents with municipal services and organisations in the city; and Sports Hive, a platform helping players, clubs and organisers arrange games and events.
Several Algarve-based tech communities are also represented, including GDG Faro, GDG Lagos, Impact Hackers, Geek Girls Portugal, Algarve Tech Hub and Meetballs.
The exhibition also highlights social impact initiatives such as LOFT, the community that “turned Loulé, Olhão, Faro and Tavira into a meeting point between international remote workers and locals who are building things on the ground”, and Tempo de Acolher, which came out of the Impact Hackers hackathon with AIPAR and Salty Lavender, “using storytelling and civic action to recruit foster families for children and young people in the region”.
Visitors will be able to explore photographs and descriptions of each project throughout the exhibition.
On March 21, during the GeekSessionsConf2026, the exhibition space will become interactive, allowing visitors to try out apps, watch live demonstrations and meet the people behind the projects.
Once the exhibition closes, the Community Map will move online via the Local Foundation website, where new initiatives from across the Algarve can continue to be added.
