News

Sant Ferran environmental workshop for kids takes crack at alternative energies

Tuesday, 24 March 2015 20:11

taller mediambient The Formentera Council and local public libraries are holding another in a series of monthly workshops dedicated to environmental education for children four and up. This Wednesday 25 March at 5pm, the Marià Villangómez library in Sant Francesc Xavier will host “Les energies que ens envolten” ('The energies around us').

Through games and practical hands-on exercises, kids will learn about the importance of energy and natural energy sources. As at every workshop in the series, the library will prepare a bookcase full of books and other educational material concerning the week's topic.

Location set for Sant Ferran nursery school

Tuesday, 24 March 2015 19:52

parcella stferran Last Thursday, 18 March, the Formentera Council made official its receipt of revisions to the draft project for the new school in Sant Ferran. The revisions, prepared by the Govern Balear's bureau in charge of services and infrastructural projects in education, Ibisec, set aside a 2,663-sq.-m. segment of the 11,000-sq.-m. lot for the future site of the Sant Ferran nursery school, the actual construction of which will be overseen by the Council.

Immediately after receiving the document from Ibisec, the Formentera Council put technical working groups in place to achieve two different objectives – streamline the remaining portion of the draft work and weigh the legality of the proposed changes.

Ibisec's revisions come two months after the deadline set at a November meeting in Mallorca between Ibisec director Mateu Sunyer and a Formentera delegation composed of FiC president Jaume Ferrer, education councillor Sònia Cardona and Council specialists Xico Ribas and Diego Dueñas. The 20 November meeting was also attended by the Govern's representative in Formentera, José Manuel Alcaraz.

At the November meeting it was decided that plans would be modified to accommodate placement of a nursery school, which would be constructed by the Council itself. Several particularities marked the draft project presented by the FiC at that juncture, the first being its provision for two different class groups for every year of study – what in Catalan and Spanish is called a two-line school ('de dos línies). The Council's plan at the time also included an early-childhood facility, a block of primary classrooms, science labs, a gymnasium, sports field and administrative offices.

FiC president Jaume Ferrer stated: “It would be fabulous if -at the same time that this discussion is happening at the administrative level- the project for the Sant Ferran school had the contribution of community members, parents and teachers alike in order to assure an appropriately-sized facility.”

President Ferrer continued by offering his own idea for the project's continuation: Upon the upcoming arrival on Formentera of Núria Riera, whose visit last Thursday was canceled due to inclement weather, that the regional minister of education “share the new draft project with our local community groups and see what contributions people here on the island have to offer.”

Ferrer suggested that “it would be disastrous if -in light of forthcoming elections- immediacy were put before quality and this project were to go without the community participation it needs. We hope this becomes a school that is both well-equipped for its educational purposes and one that is in keeping with the surrounding natural beauty.”

Evening of kid-friendly cinema at Sant Ferran library

Tuesday, 17 March 2015 18:51

asterix-and-the-vikings-8 The Formentera Council, through the Sant Ferran library, will put on a projection of the children's film Asterix and the Vikings on Thursday 19 March at 5pm.

Each month, the libraries of Formentera pick a movie from their catalogue to showcase in a special showing. Afterward, interested parents can borrow the selection for home viewing.

The story is adapted from an issue of the famous Asterix comics, illustrated by Albert Uderzo and written by René Goscinny.

Citizens' groups contribute to improving safety

Wednesday, 18 March 2015 20:04

colectius juntalocal This morning in the plenary hall of the Formentera Council the FiC president met with representatives from local citizens' groups to probe them on the issues they consider important regarding safety on the island.

The president vowed to make the groups' input heard at the upcoming meeting of the Junta Local de Seguretat (local safety junta). Organisers of the 26 March encounter have also pledged to discuss planning for the approaching 2015 summer season.

The majority of issues voiced by attendees of the morning meeting were robberies, safety around schools and the permanent local presence of Guàrdia Civil traffic agents.

Other points of concern were certain dangerous stretches of the main local highway and smaller asphalted thoroughfares – the segment of road in front of El Mirador in La Mola when motorists stop to take photos was cited together with el camí vell de La Mola between the football pitch and the town of Sant Francesc when practice lets out. Representatives of farmers groups lauded the recent drop in dog attacks on livestock while highlighting the importance of continued vigilance.

37-point plan to foment youth participation, ensure well-being

Tuesday, 03 March 2015 19:02

pla estrategic joventut Earlier today, the office of social welfare, early-childhood and youth services, an arm of the Formentera Council, publicly laid out what is being called the Strategic Plan for Formentera Youth. El Pla estratègic d'infància i joventut de Formentera, as it is titled in Catalan, was jointly-drafted by various council offices and received ratification by councilmembers in the ordinary plenary session of February.

Present for the occasion were Dolores Fernández, councillor of social welfare, infant and youth services, Pere Serra, head of the local social welfare office and Mònica Rey, head of youth services. The document outlines 37 specific action points to be developed over the course of the next four years (2015-2018). According to Councillor Fernández, “more than 50% are already en route while the remainder are easily within reach”.

Fernández highlighted the three chief features of the plan: “Compile the different tasks necessary to a successful promotion of Formentera's infant and adolescent population, promote the active participation of local youth and uphold the rights of the child”.

Before detailing the tasks themselves, head of youth services Mònica Rey gave a bit of background on the document: “[It] offers a description of the social and demographic realities of Formentera today, breaking down the data into interesting, often-unseen perspectives. The island's population aged 0-18 is set at 1,839; 982 males and 857 females”. In the same section, El pla estratègic also includes information about the current legislation concerning young children and youth.

Pere Serra was on hand to present the 37 actions included in the pages of the strategic plan. The head of social welfare explained that “the actions listed in Strategic Plan are divided up into four categories: improvements to the family environment; participation of young children and youth in local issues; equal opportunities; and public health and prevention work”.

The first category consists of five actions. One of them calls for the creation of a meeting point for parents in conflictive relationships where issues regarding the children of the family can be discussed. Other actions propose offering courses dealing with such topics as parenting skills and techniques in family problem solving. Still another action proposes improving the coordination that exists between public health agencies and other local administrations.

A total of 21 actions propose augmenting the active participation of youth in local affairs. Among these, one aims to promote volunteer work. Other actions focus on increasing participation in day camps, competitions, sports camps and at the Casal de Joves. This last entity, the local youth centre, has long played an extremely-important role in fomenting activities for young people.

Six actions consider equal opportunities on the island. One suggests a convention among Formentera's sports clubs to assist families with financial difficulties. A second recommends extra support for the participative wing of the local youth council (El Consell de la infància i la joventut).

Last on the list are the actions that contemplate improvements to public health and prevention work. One proposes support for Formentera Marxa, a programme that organises guided weekend activities.
Other actions recommend programmes to assure that every young person enrolled in basic mandatory education possess a set of acquired abilities by age sixteen. These actions aim to prevent addictive behaviour in technology, instil healthy emotional and sexual practises and give youth the power to make intelligent decisions about drugs.