It expects a higher turnout than in 2019.
The 2020-2021 school year has ended and the first buses have already left for the Fundesplai summer camps. The campaign, one of the most important organized in Catalonia, includes more than 1,300 rounds of camps, centers, work camps facilities and family camps, in which more than 68,000 children and young people will participate, thus recovering the levels of participation of the summer of 2019. All activities are organized directly by Fundesplai or in collaboration with schools, entities and town halls, as well as by the 119 esplais and leisure projects that make up the Federació Catalana de l’Esplai.
The General Director of Fundesplai, Cristina Rodríguez, explained during the departure of the first bus, last Wednesday, June 23, that registrations for summer activities organized by Fundesplai already exceed by +2% those of 2019, the year before the pandemic. And there are still many activities with open registrations.
The General Director of Fundesplai explained that this data denotes that families and children and young people have a great desire and need to enjoy leisure activities in nature. “It is surely true that there is the so-called ‘nature deficit disorder’, and ‘relationship deficit’ and ‘excess screens’…“, he added “And we would like to think that it is also due to the trust that families place in leisure entities for their background and for what we proved to be capable of doing last summer, when we became the spearhead of the resocialization of children, after hard confinement”.
On the contrary, a sharp increase in the request for scholarships to go to camps is expected. For 10 years Fundesplai has organized the solidarity campaign “A summer for everyone!” through which funds are raised and scholarships are awarded to families who are in a situation of vulnerability so that their children can go to summer activities. Rodríguez explained that Fundesplai has already received 40% more requests for scholarships compared to the 4,667 scholarships awarded in 2020.
For this reason, Fundesplai calls on individuals, entities, companies and administrations to collaborate in the solidarity campaign “A summer for everyone” through the website www.fundesplai.org
“Let’s make a better world possible!”: educational axis of the Fundesplai summer activities campaign
This summer’s campaign has the slogan “Let’s make a better world possible”. Each activity has its theme and is aimed at different ages, but all have as a common denominator the work so that children become activists in favor of the Sustainable Development Goals, since, according to Cristina Rodríguez, “The immediate future needs initiatives that involve children and young people, as citizens of the present and that challenge them to develop actions and commitments for a better world. Obviously they will do all this through adventures, activities, games, citizen science, emotional education, outings, workshops, sport, dynamics and lots of fun… committing to coexistence and sustainability, developing their critical spirit and mobilizing for action”.
Some of the activities most related to the center of interest, such as Summer camps on the SDGs, of which more than 300 rounds will be held in schools and town halls throughout Catalonia, in which the participants, from 3 to 12 years old, will have to solve different “missions” to stop the loss of biodiversity, revitalize nature, conserve ecosystems … Or the environmental volunteer camps, in which young people from 13 to 17 years old recover an area of natural, social or historical interest by providing a service to the community while learning different skills and also enjoying recreational and coexistence activities. This year 10 are organized, of which 3 are in collaboration with El Periódico. Also The 4th edition of the Journalism campusorganized by Fundesplai and the newspaper Ara, for young people from 12 to 17 years old, one of which will specifically address Social Journalism, where young people will contact social and environmental entities and make an interactive report to disseminate their mission. And, as a novelty, the 1st edition of the marine science campus, organized by the CRAM Foundation and Fundesplai, with two batches, aimed at young people between 12 and 17 years old who will become “scientists” oriented to research, knowledge and conservation of the Mediterranean marine environment.
In addition, on July 22, a Collective action in favour of a better world, in which all children and young people who are participating in camps facilities in schools, youth centres, summer camps, etc. will participate simultaneously and decentralised in the territories. Each group will choose a challenge related to the SDGs, carry it out and post photos and videos on social networks to disseminate them.
For more information and to register, you can consult the website estiu.fundesplai.org or by calling 93 551 15 10 from Monday to Friday during office hours and Saturday mornings.
Press clipping of the campaign
Interview with Josep Maria Valls, spokesperson for Fundesplai, on TV3 – 3/34
TN Migdia: Start of summer activities at Fundesplai. 27/6/2021.
TV3.
Ideas café: Interview with Froilan Salgado, deputy general manager of Fundesplai, about the summer activities campaign (13′). 23/06/21.
TVE Catalunya.
News: start of summer activities, with statements by the spokesperson for Fundesplai, Josep M. Valls. 27/06/21.
RAC1.
Camps and camps facilities the number of participants. With mention to Fundesplai. Read+
Informative: News about the departure of the first coaches to the camps facilities of Fundesplai. 23/06/21.
The summer camps facilities and camps begin. 23/06/21.
Betevé.
Summer camps at pre-pandemic levels. With mention to Fundesplai. 24/06/21.
Now.
Fundesplai exceeds 68,000 registrations in 2019 with applications for scholarships skyrocketing. 24/06/21.
La Vanguardia.
Summer camps based on scholarships. With mention to Fundesplai. 24/06/21.
The Country.
The camps facilities start the summer with more grant applications than ever. With mention to Fundesplai. 24/06/21.
El Periódico.
The first camps begin with thousands of registered. With mention to Fundesplai. 24/06/21.
The point today.