November at Casal Jove
As soon as we took down the Halloween decorations at Casal Jove we began preparing for the Splash. This festival is one of the biggest and most significant events organised by the youth center, while also being one of the most relevant comic festivals in the Valencian Community. The groundwork for it spaces from designing the workshops to arranging the arrival of the minister of youth and infancy, Sira Rego. I was involved in the creative development of the activities more than the logistical one, but there isn’t always a clear distinction between the two because, in the end, everything has to blend together. The Splash festival is an opportunity for local artists to promote their work, but also for renowned authors to showcase and share their latest publications; however it isn’t just about the comics, there are board games, video games, high tech workshops, outdoor activities and much more, there is something for everyone’s taste. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see much of it because for us working there it was an exceptionally busy time, I was appointed to the arts and crafts workshops we planned during the previous weeks, these activities were aimed for children as young as 3 years old up until teenagers between 13-14 years of age. One of the most exciting parts of the festival was the “carrera solidaria UNICEF/UNRWA” a running event in favour of children’s rights split into two, a competitive 5K and a familiar 2.5K of which big part of the proceeds was donated, more than 300 people attended it!
The planning of the festival didn’t interfere with the regular schedule at Casal Jove, we carried on the work with the various groups we manage: esplai menut (3-8), dina kids (9-11), hr (12-13), corresponsables (14-16) and emas (16+). For the first time this month I got to participate in the work done with the emas, but I also continued attending the corresponsables program and, contrarily to what I thought would happen, I am becoming more comfortable working with teenagers! I really appreciate the opportunity to be a small part of their journey: I’m amazed by the way they talk and the depth of their thought process, I see huge value in the work done in Casal Jove, it’s a safe space for kids and teenagers to explore various topics and learn how to communicate and work in groups through play and informal education.
As for my personal life, I finally met a few people my exact age and the fact that they’re locals from Puerto helps me so much with both my Spanish and my knowledge of the city and its culture and traditions. I also started going to pilates classes and with that my schedule is pretty full, but I’m very satisfied with it and happy that I have the chance to do a little bit of everything.
