On Sunday, March 1, the ceremony of laying the first stone of the extension of CENTRE ESPLAI, headquarters of Fundesplai, was held.
This Sunday, March 1st, was held the ceremony of laying the first stone of the extension of CENTRE ESPLAI, the headquarters of Fundesplai in El Prat de Llobregat. The event was attended by Lluís Mijoler, Mayor of El Prat de Llobregat, Eva Martínez, President of the Regional Council of El Baix Llobregat, Damià Calvet, Minister of Territory and Sustainability of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Josep Gassó, President of Fundesplai, as well as different representatives of administrations, entities, companies and members of esplais, schools, families, neighbors and entities of the neighborhood of Sant Cosme.
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| From top to bottom and from left to right, Calvet, Martínez, Gassó and Mijoler in the symbolic act of laying the first stone of the extension; children from the esplais and the colles castelleres also participated in the symbolic act; the Castellers del Prat and Cornellà de Llobregat raised two pillars of four and the enxainetes showed some canvases with the logos of the Sustainable Development Goals and Fundesplai; the stage hosted different representatives of different groups of the neighborhood and the entity; Jaume Funes gave a talk on educating teenagers; aspect of the garden of CENTRO ESPLAI where different activities were organized. | |
With this act, Fundesplai marks the beginning of the expansion work of its facilities, CENTRO ESPLAI, located in the neighborhood of Sant Cosme del Prat de Llobregat. The headquarters was inaugurated 12 years ago and has now become insufficient. Last year, more than 100,000 people participated in the organization’s social and environmental activities. Fundesplai develops activities in more than 1,100 schools, 111 recreation centers and leisure projects and 27 nature facilities. The average occupancy of the hostel at CENTRE ESPLAI is over 90% and there is a lack of training rooms.
The need for space has coincided with the opportunity to acquire a site next to the facility. Based on the agreement and the proposal of the Board of Trustees of Fundesplai, the City Council of El Prat de Llobregat processed an urban modification to make possible an expansion of CENTRO ESPLAI and INCASOL and the General Directorate of Urban Planning of the Generalitat de Cataluña facilitated the operation.
Three facilities and a theme park representing the Llobregat river ecosystems
The expansion project will consist of a classroom, a multifunctional space, the extension of the hostel and a large themed park with public access, which will cover an area of 1.7 hectares and will simulate the different natural spaces and habitats of the Llobregat River.
The project is the work of the architectural firm OAB, together with architects Carlos Ferrater and Núria Ayala, the same architects who designed the current building CENTRE ESPLAI and other nature facilities of Fundesplai. The new facilities of the expansion will also be fully accessible and sustainable. For this last aspect, we have been advised by Estudi Ramon Folch i Associats.
A space open to everyone and aligned with the SDGs
With the expansion, Fundesplai wants to multiply the impact of its actions in the neighborhood of Sant Cosme, in the city, in the country and beyond the borders. The location of the facility was and continues to be a decision consistent with the mission of the entity, which from the outset was committed to becoming an actor of change in the neighborhood, in coordination with other social agents, the public administration and community entities.
In addition to reaching more children, youth, families and organizations, the expansion of the facilities will reinforce the work of Fundesplai in favor of environmental education and, ultimately, will serve to address the challenge of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The project has an overall budget of 17.2 million euros, 75% of which will be financed with a loan from the Catalan Institute of Finance and Triodos Bank, which Fundesplai will repay over the next 12 years.
Institutional event
During the institutional act, Gassó thanked the support of public administrations and entities for the success of this project; Mijoler emphasized that with projects such as this Fundesplai contributes to making possible the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and, especially, the fight against climate change; Martinez highlighted how this expansion will help to amplify the educational and social work that Fundesplai has been developing; and finally, CalvetHe recalled that when CENTRE ESPLAI was built, it was already an important commitment of the entity that will now be reinforced with the expansion.
The event also included the symbolic act of placing the first stone, a chest where each of the representatives of the different groups (Fundesplai, Generalitat, City Council of El Prat, Regional Council of Baix Llobregat, esplais, Association of Neighbors…) deposited different symbolic objects representing their commitment to the project.
Workshops, activities and lectures
The day was complemented with different activities and workshops: a sustainability gymkhana, a carioca workshop led by young people who participate in different programs of Fundesplai, activities for young children in the family space El Niu, guided tours of the equipment and a talk by Jaume Funes, psychologist and educator, on how to educate adolescents with patience.
In addition, the Castellers del Prat and Cornellà de Llobregat and the Giants of the Santos Médicos (Giants of Sant Cosme) also participated.