In March this year, our member organisation Esplac brought together more than 700 youth leaders and participants for their largest ever Monifesta't. Read more about it in the article below.
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About Monifesta’t
From Friday the 29. until Sunday the 31. March 2019, over 700 youth leaders and volunteers celebrated one of the biggest further education events in Esplac’s history. The Monifesta’t is the principal meeting of leaders of Esplac to promote and visualize the work of young volunteers. It is also a place to provide them with new methodology and tools for their work with children, take local action on a bigger level and make new friends across Catalonia.
The event was hosted by Esplac (Esplais Catalans) and is celebrated every three years. This year we made a new record with over 700 participants from 45 Esplais (local groups) doing their training and activities across the small town of El Vendrell
Under the slogan “Chasing Utopias, We Build the World We Want”, the principal aim of Monifesta’t was to claim that Education is the most powerful tool for changing our world and that our youth leaders are agents of this change.
The Monifesta’t programme included all kinds of awareness activities/mechanisms, like the “purple point” as a safe space for those affected by sexualized violence, more than 50 workshops and trainings, concerts and a great declaration on Sunday. New information about topics like gender and sexual diversity, environmental education, conflict solving, feminism, etc.. within the framework of our Esplais, was provided.
In addition, some of the activities, such as the party and concert on 30. March, were opened to all local citizens. On Saturday, a lot of NGO’s and entities of the social sector, both local and international, were able to promote their projects and do workshops for everyone. These organisations include SOS Racisme, Vicki Bernadet, Setem, Observatory Against Homophobia, Stop Mare Mortum, and many more (18 in total). It was also a moment for Esplac to promote our own work, our ideas and values to the society and to hopefully gain more participants and young leaders in the future.
After this successful weekend, it would be just appropriate to speak special thanks to the Esplai ZigZag, who hosted us this year. ZigZag has more than 20 years of history in El Vendrell and is currently formed of 55 children and 13 young leaders.
About Esplac
Esplais Catalans is a non-religious and progressive association to coordinate volunteering with young children in the Esplais. We believe that the work in Esplais by sharing experience in groups and doing weekend activities is one good way to change society, a way to which we dedicated our work. We believe in a change through non-formal education, and the Esplai is, therefore, the perfect place for young leaders, children and their families to grow together and build a better future. Currently, Esplais Catalans gathers 105 Esplais with more than 1500 young leaders and 6500 children.
My personal experience
It is probably about time to introduce myself. My name is Natalia, and I am currently doing a year of international exchange/volunteering at Esplac. The project I am currently participating in is in a way within the framework of IFM-SEI, as my sending organisation happens to be SJ-Die Falken. I have two roles here: being a young leader at Esplai La Fera and working with Esplac in Barcelona. This weekend I went as part of Esplac’s organisation team. It was both exciting and exhausting, but overall, I had a most enjoyable and amazing stay in El Vendrell.
I was stunned by how well the Monifesta’t was organised, even though the plans were changed quite often in action, and how many people were working at the same time in different places to make it possible. Never before I was part of an event like this. For that reason, I also talked to other, more experienced members of Esplac and they also claimed that this Monifesta’t is by many means one of the most successful we ever had! Our days were long but full of new acquaintances, experience and a lot of fun. Sleeping on the floor in a gymnastic hall, waking up at 08:00, celebrating and socializing after duty at the concert and bonfire was a most challenging, but also rewarding adventure, and looking back I already miss it.
I think most of the people who have been there with me would agree on calling Monifesta’t 2019 a huge success. Meeting so many like-minded people, sharing the same ideas and values, discover differences and learning about the works of one another is extremely important if you dedicate yourself to volunteering. It reminds one who may feel the pressure of responsibility on the roots of our work. It motivates another to try out new methods for their group activities. It encourages us to continue our fight for a better future, by using our power as young leaders with non-formal education, positive experiences and friendship on both local and international level.
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