From March 23rd to April 3rd, 2025, the Fundació Catalunya Voluntaria hosted the international mobility activity ‘Un Pont Entre Animateurs Européens’ (“A Bridge between European Animators”). This was the first international mobility activity that the FCV carried out in French and the second one in partnership with the French organization CEMEA, which is present in all country’s departments.
A group of 19 people—16 sociocultural animation students, two teachers, and one participant in the French civic service program—traveled from Besançon and Dijon to learn about different children’s and youth animation structures and Catalan culture.
The group participated in activities in various natural areas in Vilanova i la Geltrú and Barcelona and visited Sitges.
In the first week, the group was welcomed by the technical team of the Garraf Youth Office, who informed them about the services it offers to young people. They walked through the town center to La Geltrú, visited the port of Vilanova, and spent a morning learning about petanque as an educational tool, in an activity organized by the Catalan Federation. In the afternoons, we played games and activities on the beach and visited the Víctor Balaguer Museum.
On Thursday and Friday, the group traveled to the capital to meet the FCV team and a small group of young people who will soon be interning in Portugal, also as animators, playing games in the 3 Chimneys square. In the afternoon, they enjoyed free time to explore the city. The next day, they walked through the historic center to Mescladís Borrell to learn about the work of the Mescladís Foundation. In the afternoon, part of the group participated in an emotional theater workshop at the Drassanes Civic Center.
One of the most special activities of the visit took place on Saturday: the Esplai, which was prepared and carried out jointly with the youth monitors from the Esplai l’Espurna in the Sant Joan neighborhood. This enabled the entire group of students to be part in the esplai activities, which were attended by more than 30 young people and children, ages 4 to 17.
The week ended on Sunday with a calçotada (a traditional onion-based barbecue) in an orchard on the city’s outskirts and enjoying from a beautiful spring weather.
Last week began with a Monday morning dedicated to rebuilding the stone walls of the Adarró forest path, an activity carried out jointly with volunteers from the “Salvem l’Ortoll” Platform. The group had to complete pending tasks and dedicate time to reflect, individually and in groups, on the lessons learned and experiences gained during the intense days of discovery.
The FCV prepared the program to provide a representative overview of the diversity of organizations that offer assistance to young people and children, aiming to place a central value on people, nature, sports, and the arts as sources of learning, fully compatible with non-formal training and popular education.
The experience was highly rated by the group. According to their comments (expressed in their final evaluation sheets), the activity achieved their expectations. Among the lessons learned, we highlight the following: “I learned new animation methods”; “I learned a lot about myself and the group”; “I learned about team spirit, coexistence, and cultural exchange.” “I learned the differences between Catalan and Spanish culture (language, history, traditions)”; “I learned the general cultural dynamics of Catalonia within its traditions and culture”; “I learned to live in a community and discovered Catalan culture”; “I learned about the development of popular education in Catalonia.”
We sincerely thank all the people who helped us carry out the activity and shared their experiences and passion: Núria, Francisco, Óscar, Victoria, Quique, Héctor, Adri, Marina, Martín, Martina, Aina, Mikhail, and Montse. We look forward to collaborating with you all again.
The activity was carried out thanks to the support of the European Commission (Erasmus Plus program).
Lluc Martí
