News

Islanders take time to clear rock piles

Wednesday, 29 May 2019 15:10

photo-2019-05-29-08-30-40-1- This Saturday, 1 June, volunteers will gather in the es Trucadors area of the island for a morning of education and rock pile removal. All those interested in taking part should reserve their spot by sending an email to educacio@gengob.org.

Volunteers coming from Eivissa will meet at the Formentera ferry terminal at 8.30am and have a free shuttle service. Formentera residents will gather directly at es Ministre car park at 10.30am.

The idea is to remove at least some of the piled up stones in the area. Participants will learn about how stacking up stones poses problems for many native species, not to mention the landscape.

29 May 2019
Office of Communication
Formentera Council

Formentera celebrates 25 years of Jazz a la Plaça, 10 years of Música a les Places

Wednesday, 29 May 2019 14:48

musica-a-les-places es-pujols1 The Formentera Council's Office of Culture and Festivities has unveiled the 2019 programme of Música a les Places, a summer-long cultural initiative for tourists and islanders alike. Acting culture councillor Susana Labrador described the series as about “promoting culture and turning enjoyment of our public spaces into a tool to further social integration”. Concerts will be held outdoors in la Savina, es Pujols, Sant Francesc and Sant Ferran from Monday to Saturday.

La Savina
This summer, music returns to la Savina with Mondays in the Port (Dilluns al Port). From 10.00pm every Monday from June to September inclusive, live music awaits visitors of la Savina's port-side promenade, passeig de la Marina.

Es Pujols
Es Pujols's Europa square is gearing up for its own dose of live music from Antena Libre. Performances by the ten-year veterans of the Música a les Places initiative start on June 13 at 8.00pm and continue every Thursday to October 17 (no performances in August). In July concerts will begin at 11.00pm.

Sant Ferran
Sant Ferran welcomes its own live music series every Friday at 10.00pm between June 14 and September 27.

Sant Francesc
Saturday nights are classic—between June 15 and September 14, starting at 10.00pm in plaça de la Constitució, Formentera's most lovable jazz band returns to celebrate 25 years playing the square.

Collaborative efforts
Fuelled from the start by support from Antena Libre and the association Jazz & Co, Música a les Places is, in the words of councillor Labrador, “about conserving and fomenting music of all kinds, including live improv performances”.

An ongoing partnership between the Council and Estrella Galicia has once again been crucial to the organisation of both initiatives. With a self-proclaimed affinity for independent, alternative festivals, Estrella Galicia hosts 150 concerts every year in venues across Spain. The Formentera Council wishes to thank Estrella Galicia for its long-standing commitment to music and culture in our country.

29 May 2019
Office of Communication
Formentera Council

Formentera Council unlocks €95,500 for textbooks and other student aid

Monday, 27 May 2019 14:12

di--ptic-xarxes1 The Formentera Council's education office reports that a new round of aid is being made available to students in higher ed programmes off the island and primary and secondary pupils in Formentera schools.

Applications can be submitted in person at the Citizen's Information Office (OAC) or other official points, or online, on the Virtual Citizen's Information Office (OVAC). The application period starts today and all forms must by received by July 5. Application forms and all the related information about the financial aid is available on the CiF website. Questions can also be submitted via email to educacio@conselldeformentera.cat.

Insularity assistance
Money is available to offset the impacts of living on an island (commonly termed “double” and “triple insularity”) for residents enrolled in higher, technical and continuing education as well as art programmes which are held off the island during the 2018-2019 school year.

From a total provision of €38,000, grants of €150 are available to students attending classes on Eivissa or who are enrolled in distance learning programmes at other universities, while higher ed students in institutions outside the Pityuses can request grants of €450.

Complete details about this assistance are available at: http://conselldeformentera.cat/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6354%3A2019-05-27-10-55-27&catid=351%3Aeducacio-cultura-i-patrimoni&Itemid=437&lang=ca

Money for higher education
Another assistance package is aimed at helping local students bolster their educational curriculum and, more generally, ensuring equal access to the right to education and access to officially recognised higher education programmes across Spain.

The Council will distribute €12,500 in ten €1,250 grants.

Visit the following link for complete information about this grant: http://conselldeformentera.cat/images/stories/tauler_danuncis/educacio_cultura_i_patrimoni/2019/ANUNCI_ATORGAMENT_DEF.pdf

Funding for text books
Money has also been set aside to help students purchase textbooks during the 2018-2019 school year. This assistance can be requested not only by primary and secondary schools on the island with textbook reuse programmes, but by pupils enrolled in such programmes, too. Other eligible candidates are members of large or single-parent families residing on Formentera.

The Council has assigned €45,000 to textbook assistance. Schools will get €50 for every child in primary and €70 for pupils in secondary education. For large and single-parent families, the aid covers 100 per cent of costs.

For complete details about this assistance, visit the following link: http://conselldeformentera.cat/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6352%3A2019-05-27-08-01-01&catid=351%3Aeducacio-cultura-i-patrimoni&Itemid=437&lang=ca

May 27, 2019
Àrea de Comunicació
Formentera Council

Parents talk about school bullying

Tuesday, 28 May 2019 14:59

suportweb-1- The social welfare division of the Formentera Council reports that at 6.00pm on Thursday, May 30, the multipurpose room of the island's dependent care facility will play host to a talk for parents titled “How to keep our children from becoming a victim of bullying at school”. The conference will be presented by community liaison Aurora Cantero and police liaison officer Pilar Daviu.

Conversation at the event will focus on tools children can use to prevent violence in the classroom, what fits under the bullying banner (and what doesn't), what to do if you find out bullying is going on and what consequences violence has. The gathering is part of the social welfare office's Family Support Group and daycare will be provided.

May 28, 2019
Office of Communication
Formentera Council

Outreach aims to bring tourists on board with 'blue zone' parking

Friday, 24 May 2019 13:41

foto-oficina-informacio---turi1 The Formentera Council's mobility department is continuing in its push to bring drivers up to speed on the system of metred parking—estacionament regulat—that has been implemented across Formentera's largest towns in recent years.

“January was all about getting islanders on board with the setup”, said department councillor Rafael González, “now we're back with a retooled message for our visitors”, pointing out that the challenge this time was to address some of visiting motorists' blind spots concerning the new system.

Brochures
After an initial unveiling in Catalan and Castilian, pamphlets—plus a website reviewing the ins and outs of the scheme—have been translated for English- and Italian- speaking tourists. Apart from clearing the air on the most common questions, the brochure goes over the mechanics of the system and the hours of enforcement.

Parking attendants and guides at tourist information points will target tourists and rental car outfits with the roughly 2,200 freshly printed brochures—half in Catalan/Castilian and half in English/Italian.

“The real final objective is for car hire companies and tourist information liaisons to send our visitors to www.zonablava.com”, said González, describing it as a dedicated site where drivers can find all the information and get “a straightforward explanation of how Formentera's metred parking system works”.

15 minutes for local business
A pillar of the new system is the recently unveiled 15-minute parking spaces implemented in blue zone areas in Sant Francesc and Sant Ferran. The spaces are free and open to everyone; drivers request a ticket that entitles them to 15 minutes of parking.

González pointed out that the 15-minute spaces are located in strategic points around towns, and said they grew out of a suggestion from local business owners about practical ways to ease congestion and give shoppers a way to get in and out quickly: “15 minutes to get your shopping done, and we're making getting to local businesses easier”.

May 24, 2019
Àrea de Comunicació
Formentera Council