The municipality of Santa Eulària des Riu has held a new edition of the Children and Youth Plenary, a meeting in which students from eight schools and three institutes have taken the floor to present proposals to improve school life and coexistence in the municipality. The session, which aims to give voice to the concerns and priorities of the youngest, has revolved around four main axes: emotional well-being, the promotion of reading, sustainability and the adequacy of educational and municipal spaces.
A school psychologist to address emotional well-being
One of the most outstanding proposals has been that of CEIP Venda Arabí, whose students have stressed the need to incorporate a school psychologist in schools. The students have explained that in recent years there has been an increase in cases of anxiety, stress and personal difficulties, situations that affect both academic performance and coexistence. The presence of this professional, they point out, would improve the emotional well-being of students and also offer support to families and teachers.
A municipal Reading Plan to recover the reading habit
The promotion of reading has been another of the central themes of the plenary. From IES Xarc, the students proposed the creation of a municipal Reading Plan to encourage young people to read more often, share readings between centers and recover the reading habit. They have warned that the intensive use of social networks is affecting both reading comprehension and imagination and the quality of interpersonal relationships, and consider that this initiative could reverse this trend.
Sustainability in the classroom: green projects and renewable energies
Sustainability has also been very present among the proposals. The CEIP Nuestra Señora de Jesús and CEIP s’Olivera have asked for the improvement of playgrounds and the creation of more green spaces, with elements that favor biodiversity. The IES Quartó des Rei has proposed a scientific project on climate change based on real data collected through a weather station. For its part, the CEIP Puig d’en Valls has proposed the installation of solar panels to reduce the energy consumption of the center and the reuse of the surplus of the dining room, in order to serve people at risk of social exclusion.
Centers demanding better facilities and safe spaces
The improvement of educational infrastructures has been another key point. The CEIP Sant Ciriac has requested the reform of the playground fountains and the expansion of educational spaces with new rooms and technological equipment. The CEIP Santa Eulària has proposed to renew the pavement of the children’s playground to ensure safety and improve outdoor lighting, especially during times of extracurricular activities. In Santa Gertrudis, the CEIP Santa Gertrudis has called for the creation of a specific municipal space for children from 7 to 11 years old, where they can meet, play and socialize in a safe environment adapted to their age.
