On November 13, the spokesperson of the Government, Patrícia Plaja, announced that the Government of the Generalitat de Catalunya has agreed to award the Creu de Sant Jordi to Fundesplai (Fundació Catalana de l’Esplai)
Our entity has been distinguished “for its recognized contribution to the leisure education of children and young people, and its professional work that it carries out with various groups and in vulnerable environments“. The Creu de Sant Jordi is one of the highest recognitions that a person or entity can receive from the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Upon hearing the news, the president of Fundesplai, Josep Gassó, thanked the distinction and expressed satisfaction “for the recognition it represents for the work done by thousands and thousands of people and entities in the territory that have been working for more than 50 years in favor of values such as coexistence and sustainability”. Likewise, Gassó said that “this recognition gives us strength to face the challenges of the future” and congratulated the rest of the winners.
In addition to Fundesplai, this year the Generalitat has distinguished twenty people, including the footballer Alexia Putellas, the basketball player Pau Gasol, the cartoonist Franciso Ibáñez or the journalist Mònica Tarribas; and nine other entities, such as the Official College of Architects of Catalonia; the Council of Nurses’ Colleges of Catalonia or the Catalan Society of Family and Community Medicine.
Fundesplai is a non-profit initiative whose mission is “to educate children and young people, strengthen third sector entities, improve the environment and promote citizenship and social inclusion, with a transformative will”. The set of programs developed in esplais, schools, summer camps,… They reached more than 280,000 people last 2019. Precisely on November 20, it inaugurated the expansion of its facilities in the neighborhood of Sant Cosme del Prat de Llobregat and a large exhibition, entitled “Menja. Acts. It impacts” addresses the issue of healthy and sustainable eating.