More than 1,700 children and teenagers enjoy municipal educational, sports and leisure programmes during the summer

More than 1,700 children and teenagers from Benidorm have participated during July and August in the educational, sporting and leisure programmes, courses and activities promoted by the City Council during the summer, according to data provided this Tuesday by the mayor of the city, Toni Pérez. A municipal offer that has reached the population of 3 to 16 years old and that has been developed in different municipal spaces, such as schools or sports facilities.

The mayor has indicated that “with these programmes, courses and activities we have facilitated the work, family and social conciliation to hundreds of homes in our town during the school holidays, with a varied and professional offer that has been provided by municipal staff in some cases and by specialized companies in others”. The mayor also stressed that all the activities are “adapted to the needs of children”, with an offer that also includes places for boys and girls with special needs, and that, in addition to being “an educational, sporting, cultural or leisure alternative, they also provide a meeting space where children and young people share experiences and interests”.

The number of participants, he added, “confirms not only the significant demand that exists for this type of service but also the confidence that Benidorm families place in the initiatives that the City Council designs and plans with its youngest residents in mind”. Pérez concluded by recalling that all these programs, “in addition to being of the highest quality, are offered at very affordable prices and are accompanied by scholarships, special prices or aid to encourage participation also in households with fewer resources”, for that reason he conveyed the “commitment” to “continue promoting more of this type of offer for families”. For example, this year the ‘September School’ will be launched for the first time to promote conciliation during the first week of the month.

Sports courses

The municipal sports schools organised by the Department of Sports, which have been held mainly between 24 June and 16 August and which are taught by the City Council's sports technicians, are the ones that have seen the most demand during the summer period, with a total of 899 registered throughout the summer. Among the courses that have been taught within these municipal schools are aqua gym classes, swimming - for different age groups and people with functional and corrective diversity -, multi-sport school and sea kayaking, the offer is completed with the summer courses that have been developed by the local basketball, handball, beach volleyball, cable skiing, tennis, football or the nautical club, among others, in collaboration with the Department of Sports managed by the councillor Javier Jordá.

Among the most popular activities, swimming and multi-sport stand out, with almost 300 and 250 children and teenagers registered, respectively, as well as other activities related to water sports, such as children's kayaking, with 127 minors participating.

Educational Support and Youth Leisure

Apart from the purely sporting offer, as in previous years, the Department of Education has worked on two initiatives aimed at the child population: the Summer Educational Support Programme (PAEV) and the Summer School, organised by the Parents' Associations in collaboration with Benidorm City Council.

As regards the first, is an educational reinforcement programme aimed at students from first to sixth grade of Primary Education, which is taught by municipal staff and has been developed during July and August at Leonor Canalejas public school. On this occasion, 77 students participated, who received classes in curricular subjects such as Mathematics, Spanish, Valencian and English, as well as learning study techniques and games of attention and verbal and mathematical reasoning, to improve their performance for the new school year. The City Council has provided 100% of PAEV attendance grants to a third of the participants: 22 boys and girls, while it has also incorporated special prices for large families, single-parent families, etc.

The Summer School, which was held at the Vasco Núñez de Balboa public school, a total of 560 children between 3 and 14 years old participated. Of these, 340 attended during July and 220 in August, of which a high number – 200 and 120, respectively – made use of the canteen service. The City Council, through the Department of Social Welfare, coordinated by Councillor Angela Zaragozí, has awarded 100% of the attendance at this school to a total of 45 children in ordinary classrooms and another 14 in inclusion classrooms, most of which also include meal grants to support families with greater socioeconomic needs.

Likewise, the Education department has also allocated another 18,000 euros to subsidise up to 50% of the cost of this Summer School to the rest of the participants whose family unit is registered in Benidorm, added Councillor Maite Moreno.

Leisure and free time alternatives

Finally, the Youth Department has also developed two other activities during this summer: the Summer Programme and the Summer Camp. A total of 144 young people between 10 and 16 years old have participated in the first, within a project that has been developed for two weeks and that has combined numerous activities such as cultural outings, to the beach or the sports centre; workshops; emotional intelligence work; sports; games; hiking; cooking; environmental activities; board games or film forum, among others.

Likewise, the department coordinated by councillor Ana Soliveres organises one of the few summer camps for young people offered by the municipal initiative throughout the province, in which 50 people between the ages of 8 and 16 participate.

In this case, it was held at the Navalón-Enguera youth camp, which is part of the network of hostels of the Valencian Youth Institute (IVAJ) and is located in a pine forest in the Sierra de Enguera, to allow all participants to share experiences and leisure time in the heart of nature, increasing their knowledge of the environment and reinforcing values ​​such as collaboration, camaraderie and teamwork.

More offers to match family work

After taking stock of these activities, Mayor Toni Pérez has conveyed the “commitment of this government team” to “continue promoting more of this type of offer to help families and provide solutions to be able to combine work, family and personal life during school holidays”.

The first of these will start this Monday, with the ‘September School’, an initiative promoted by the Federation of Parents’ Associations in collaboration with the Youth Council and which will be launched this year to “cover a few days when families, traditionally, do not find public or private offers for the little ones before the start of the school year”, Pérez stressed.

This school is aimed at children between 3 and 12 years old and will take place during the first week of the month, from 2 to 6 September, at Leonor Canalejas school. The opening hours are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., although families have also been given the option of the ‘Matinera’ service between 8 and 9 a.m., as well as a lunch room with Tupperware between 2 and 3 p.m.