Inaugurated by the president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martín, Adeje yesterday hosted the III Congress of Neighborhood Associations of Canary Islands, from which “calls to use the energy of associationism in the social transformation of the Islands”. That is the essential conclusion conveyed by the General Director of Transparency and Citizen Participation of the canarian governmentMarta Saavedra, organizer of the meeting. He also called for the firm commitment of the participants to contribute to the sustainable development of the Canary Islands, both in environmental matters and in economic and social matters.
Before an audience of 150 representatives of neighborhood groups from the Canary Islands, Pedro Martín – who recognized the role of these groups during the pandemic – offered the support of the Island Corporation to collaborate and improve its efficiency through synergies and coordination between them. Commitment that included being receptive to their approaches.
In her capacity as hostess, the Councilor for Culture, Education and Citizen Participation of Adeje, María Clavijo, alluded to the importance of neighborhood community movements to transform the spaces where people live. «I encourage you to take new ideas, new impulses to carry out other actions, you are one of the fundamental engines of the advancement of society».
Throughout the day, workshops related to associative action in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the distribution of food and other social needs, as well as participatory experiences, were held. Likewise, they discussed the citizen movement, its present and future, and they presented experiences on diversity and physical activity as tools for social inclusion.