Nearly 1,600 schoolchildren from 32 city schools gathered today for the presentation of the fifteenth public audience with the city’s youth, a municipal programme to get children and teenagers from primary schools, secondary schools, baccalaureate and special education centres to take part in city governance.

Over the 2019-2020 school year the students will employ a feminist perspective, with support from teachers, as they look at education in equality. Throughout the process the pupils will engage in debate to reach a consensus on the proposals and commitments to be presented to the City Council at the end of the year. Teaching staff at the various schools will also get specific guidance on how to achieve the programme’s objectives.

‘Educating for equality’

Various aspects of education in equality will be addressed through activities in the districts and the city as a whole.

• Analysis of the presence of male prejudice and sexism in everyday life.
• Development of critical opinion, based on independence of thought, responsibility, civic commitment, empathy, cooperation and skills in defending a point of view.
• Identification of strategies for preventing abusive relationships, sexist violence towards women, stereotypes and discrimination on the grounds of gender diversity or sexual orientation.
• Taking on of the role of agents for transformation at schools and in close circles.
• Knowledge of municipal powers and resources in the city for tackling male violence towards women.
• Identification of the veracity and intentionality of all sorts of narratives to combat discriminatory discourse and invisibilities.
• Participation and identification of needs in the search for solutions involving the City Council and the community.

Public audience

The project culminates at the end of the school year with the public audience at the City Hall, with 250 children representing all those who took part in the initiative and presenting the measures agreed on.