The mayor of Santa Úrsula, Juan Acosta (AISU), explained yesterday in the official presentation of this document that “provides relevant data on the reality of minors in the municipality, especially their concerns, desires and priorities, but also on their vision of the municipality.” A guide to better meet your demands and needs, among which also appears the request for a greater offer of extracurricular activities.
The president of the Canary Islands Committee Unicef, Rosa Gloria Suarez, accompanied Juan Acosta and Dulce Xerach in the presentation that took place in the plenary hall and added the importance of giving priority to the rights of minors, among which he highlighted the right to participation. «That each child or adolescent can express their wishes and needs so that their opinions are taken into account when preparing the Municipal Childhood Plan», He remarked. Another key step will be, from now on, the creation of a child participation body that gives a voice to this group.
The northern municipality of Santa Úrsula currently has about 15,000 inhabitants, of which 3,944, 26% of the total, are minors between the ages of 0 and 17.
The diagnosis underscores that Saint Ursula “It is a municipality without special or serious problems for children, which is perceived as a safe and egalitarian place, but which should have more safe places for leisure.” 70% of adolescents consider that the economic situation of their families is good or normal, an appreciation that is reduced to 51% in the case of adults and 62% when those who respond are children under 15 years of age.
To carry out this study, a total of 300 people were surveyed, including boys and girls between 7 and 14 years old, adolescents between 15 and 18 years old, and adults of different ages.
Overuse of screens is a common problem nowadays. 46% of adolescents acknowledge that they use social networks and video games between 10 and 20 hours a week; 36%, between 20 and 30 hours, and 11%, between 30 and 50 hours, which means that they dedicate between 4 and 7 hours a day, when it is recommended by experts not to exceed two hours a day. «A high percentage of respondents consider that not enough extracurricular activities are developed in the municipality, which is also perceived as the cause of spending so many hours with mobile phones, computers or video games, ”according to Pérez.
This diagnosis will also allow Santa Úrsula to obtain recognition from Unicef as Child Friendly City.
