Barcelona as an educating city
An educating city interprets education in a broad sense, beyond school age, by connecting with everyday life in the neighbourhoods, forging ties with facilities and services, engaging with local people and taking part in the challenges facing the city. This approach is set out by the Charter of Educating Cities, which this year marks its 30th anniversary.
The goal of the charter is to put education at the heart of public policies. The idea is that beyond the classroom, the whole city educates and fosters children’s learning. Thirty years after it was drafted, the Charter of Educating Cities is being updated to adapt to current and future needs.
Educating neighbourhoods
In Barcelona, the City Council has identified the neighbourhoods as key elements for building ties between schools and surroundings to foster education beyond the classroom. Work is based around three areas:
- Fostering activities in the neighbourhood. Guaranteeing a range of public, affordable and inclusive extra-curricular activities.
- School surroundings and connection with local facilities and services. The ‘Protegim les escoles’ programme transforms areas around schools to turn them into safe and friendly places with less traffic and less noise. In addition, work also focuses on the promotion of artistic learning with cultural facilities in each neighbourhood.
- An educating city is also a place for play. This involves rethinking play areas to improve and diversify play and physical exercise, with more opportunities and better access to them in public spaces.
Joining the Aliança Educació 360
Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the charter, Barcelona will be joining in the Aliança Educació 360, an alliance promoted by Barcelona Provincial Council, the Federació de Moviments de Renovació Pedagògica and the Fundació Jaume Bofill. The main priority of the alliance is educational equity, equal opportunities and full-time education.
