Earlier today, councillor of social welfare of the Formentera Council (CiF), Vanessa Parellada, unveiled the list of activities currently being coordinated by the departments of the Council for this 20 November, International Day of the Child. The celebration will be one more way to assure the different documents that safeguard human rights – whether the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – are heeded. Explained Parellada: «These declarations define a clear path with respect to the conditions and opportunities necessary for children’s well-being and development».

At the local level these tenets are reflected in a number of ways: first, as the councillor noted, there was the Child-friendly City distinction received by the Formentera Council on 17 October 2014. At that time, the CiF committed to drafting a plan to increase youth visibility and involvement on the island. Hence, this year, the departments of the Council with youth programmes put their heads together to create an extra special Day of the Child celebration.

Promoting sport and physical fitness
Councillor of sport Jordi Vidal described the open-house on 21 November as the perfect opportunity for children and families to get a close-up look at the Antoni Blanc sports centre and the wide range of activities offered there. «Moreover», Vidal explained, «from eight to midnight the evening prior, the fitness centre is putting on a special night of sports for youth 14 to 18».

Education and culture
Councillor Labrador spoke about the different educational and cultural activities planned for 20 November. First: a series of eight beach-cleaning outings will get local schoolchildren out in the sun and participating in civics. Children of the island will also be taking part in a UNICEF-hosted drawing competition that carries the tagline «Reinventing the future». Then, in an initiative to promote intergenerational exchange, Formentera pupils in year five and six will be taking time out of their day to play board games with users of the island's day centre. Part of the same push, the Sant Ferran centre for the aged will host a craft workshop of traditional toys this 7 November.

Councillor Labrador spoke about the following three activities that make up the cultural side of Day of the Child festivities: a concert, 5:30 p.m. on Sunday 8 November by Dàmaris Gelabert, at the cinema; a film projection in the Sant Ferran library on 12 November; and — also at the cinema — a storytelling session on 18 November.

Raising environmental awareness
For her part, councillor of environment Daisee Aguilera talked about the importance of consciousness-raising activities — like the beach-cleaning walks her office coordinates — for even young children. She announced one such foray is already planned — especially for families — for 22 November. Participants can also take part in a special workshop on recycling.

Talks
Staff specialist of the Council's office of youth services, Mònica Rey, signalled two upcoming talks directed at parents or any adult interested in parenting. The first of these is called Els fills no vénen de Mart. Els pares de vegades ho sembla (Children don't come from Mars. Sometimes it seems parents do), and will be led by Paco Pérez from 7 p.m. in the conference hall of the CiF cultural building. The following Friday the 13th at the same time and place, Anna Manso will give a talk called Mares i pares imperfectes (Imperfect parents).

On 20 November, Formentera children will visit the Balearic parliament in Palma to take part in a plenary session of the children's parliament there. Then, 26 November, a certain number will be party to a plenary of the youth participatory council (el Consell de Participació de la Infància i la Joventut), held in the plenary hall of the Formentera Council. Finally, Rey announced a concert for local youth would take place at 9:30 pm, 27 November, in the Sa Senieta tent.

This morning in press conference, Susana Labrador, culture councillor of the Formentera Council, gave details regarding the administration's budding partnership with Fundació Baleària — an alliance she said would soon materialise as a collaborative accord that will free up funding for cultural programming. Also present at the event were Fundació Baleària's managing director Ricard Pérez Ivars, Baleària's Pitiüsa delegate Joan Serra and the staff specialist of the Formentera Council office of culture, Verònica Arenas.

Pérez described the Fundació's goal as «creating platforms where culture can be exchanged between people in the different areas Baleària travels». He evoked marketplaces of the past, saying the transport company «wants to create points of cultural exchange». Councillor Labrador spoke of a desire for an increase in the cultural acts coming to the island — and of her hope Formentera's own cultural exports can increase as well. For start of 2016, she said, the CiF office of culture is in the midst of putting together a presentation of children's theatre in addition to the standard programme of stage productions and concerts. But she spoke of the office's work to bring a wider variety of acts – like dance shows – to local audiences.

Business partnerships
The councillor said it was important that business got involved too, asserting local trades could «help bring diverse and quality acts to Formentera, and at the same time promote Formentera's own cultural exports outside the island».