Recognising that San Miguel de Abona is a municipality “with enormous potential that aims to enhance its resources and the talents and abilities of its residents,” the University of La Laguna sees an opportunity in its process of engaging with the entire Tenerife region, acknowledging the value of its expertise in various fields of knowledge useful for local development processes. In this context, the City Council and the ULL include Participa San Miguel de Abona in the general collaboration agreement signed by the mayor, Arturo González, and the rector, Francisco García.
In essence, this is a project that requires the involvement and participation of the residents of San Miguel, who bring their knowledge of daily life and, therefore, the strengths and weaknesses of the municipality. A listening exercise that will lead to initiatives aimed at improving the social, economic, and cultural development of San Miguel de Abona. Alongside the community, those who work for it and those who represent it in the political sphere also participate.
Participa is the first project to be developed under the agreement signed by both institutions. “We are creating the conditions for community participation,” is the aim, which is based on the idea that “we improve by taking the lead,” the slogan of the program whose administrative management is the responsibility of the General Foundation of the University of La Laguna.
The immediate objective is to create the conditions for community participation in the municipality. It includes actions to create a supportive framework for participation throughout San Miguel, considering its different areas, starting from an extensive process of listening to the community. Concurrently, the knowledge of the associational fabric will be updated, fostering its relationships, in addition to identifying participatory experiences that have made significant contributions to the municipal development process. It also includes a community training line and the development of a detailed map of socio-community resources by core areas. For this, a specialised technical team will be involved.
Credit. / EL DÍA
Appeal for Engagement
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“We are talking about citizenship, political sovereignty, technical expertise, and the professional sector,” as the call for participation addresses all of them. This is explained by Vicente Zapata, the project director and associate professor at ULL: “We want these actors themselves to become a reality so that their contributions can be helpful. We will try to engage with all the economic, social, and cultural stakeholders during a listening period, where we will discuss proposals, concerns, and more.” Zapata Hernández emphasises that “the initiative seeks a participatory framework to generate medium-term work proposals that will impact the towns and areas of the municipality to apply their outcomes at the local level.”
Participa San Miguel de Abona is a valuable tool that enables individuals to play a more active role in improving their reality, especially collectively and alongside institutions. This initiative, aligned with the Sustainable Canary Islands Agenda, leverages the experience gained over time from the Social Innovation Agency of the General Foundation of the University of La Laguna, which will handle the technical tasks and administrative management of an experience that will initially extend until the end of this year.
Listening to the Community
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Vicente Zapata argues that the social listening method “is a technique that yields the most interesting results and does not focus on a set of words but is based on the dialogue of many people on many topics. Instead of mediating, it allows individuals to choose what they want to talk about and therefore give their opinion on improving their own municipality. That is, understanding the most basic needs of those residing in the municipality.” The listening process will take place during the months of September and October.
General Framework
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The collaboration agreement signed by the City Council and the University of La Laguna at Casa El Capitán will be valid for this year with automatic renewals for four more years. It establishes the general framework for carrying out activities of mutual interest in the municipality, including educational, informative, and cultural activities, university extension, social commitment and training, research projects, and community participation, among others, that contribute to the cultural, economic, and social development of San Miguel de Abona. Any action will be formalised through the signing of specific agreements. It involves the participation of the General Foundation of the University of La Laguna.
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The signing ceremony of the agreement was attended by councillors from San Miguel, the vice-rector of Culture and University Extension, Isabel Karely León and the managing director of the General Foundation of ULL, Julio Brito.
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