The Madrid City Council promotes knowledge of the city’s historical and cultural heritage among young people through the ‘Con ojos de gato’ activity, guided cultural visits to emblematic spaces in the capital driven by the nine municipal youth centers. «With this initiative, we bring the history and traditions of Madrid closer to the new generations in a unique and close way, strengthening their sense of belonging and connection to the city,» highlighted the Delegate for Social Policies, Family, and Equality, José Fernández, who today participated in one of these outings with Gran Vía as the backdrop.
The initiative was born in 2020 when the recreational offerings that the City Council made available to users of youth centers moved to screens to accompany them during the lockdown. The Department of Social Policies, Family, and Equality then launched ‘Conecta Juventud 2.0,’ a project that allowed young people to continue enjoying leisure alternatives through virtual proposals. It was in that context that ‘Con ojos de gato,’ interactive videos that narrated the history of Madrid in an attractive and innovative way, was born. Overcoming the pandemic, this online activity became face-to-face and has established itself as a stable project that offers 22 cultural outings every year. Guided by the monitors of the municipal youth centers, 200 young people participated in these routes in 2024.
This Saturday, Fernández accompanied a group of young people on one of these guided tours that covered Gran Vía, stopping at iconic buildings like Metrópolis. A visit in which young people with disabilities from the Sonrisas Association participated. In parallel, another of these outings was carried out in Madrid Río with users from the Ouka Leele Intergenerational Center. With these proposals, the City Council promotes participation, interest in the environment, and the development of a citizenship committed to preserving heritage from an early age.
Municipal Network of Youth Centers
In 2024, the Madrid City Council allocated a total of 5.8 million euros to its youth leisure and free time programs, organizing more than 25,000 activities. Within this budget, among other resources, are the nine youth centers of the Madrid City Council, which provide young people between the ages of 14 and 30 with an opportunity for their personal growth through training, psychological care, and healthy leisure. In 2024, 230,000 attendances were recorded for the activities scheduled in the nine centers: Tetuán Punto Joven, Chamberí, El Pardo, Hontalbilla (Fuencarral-El Pardo), Carabanchel Alto, El Sitio de mi Recreo, and Aleph (both in Villa de Vallecas), Pipo Velasco (Usera), and Ouka Leele (Arganzuela).
In all of them, workshops, courses, sports tournaments, health prevention actions, festivals, cultural outings to nature, or the ‘Teatro Joven de Bolsillo’ micro-theater circuit are developed. Likewise, social and preventive programs such as ‘Block the Machismo,’ ‘Unraveling Racism,’ ‘Youth for the Climate,’ or ‘Vibrant Network in Full Color’ are celebrated, among others.
Psychological Care and Training
In addition, at the City Council’s youth centers, responses are also provided to the emotional and mental health problems faced by young people. For this purpose, in 2020, the figure of the psychologist and coach was incorporated into these spaces, and in 2023, therapy hours were increased. The psychological support service, of a preventive nature, contributes to the adequate development and personal growth of adolescents and young people, facilitating their socialization, interpersonal relationships, personal growth, self-esteem, and self-control. Between January and June 2024, 1,604 young people were individually assisted. The coaching service, on the other hand, works on personal strengths and areas for improvement, confidence, or social skills. In the first half of 2024, 110 people received this support.
Additionally, the City Council makes available to young people eight youth information offices, the QuedaT.com program, which strengthens resilience and connection among young people, curricular training courses in various professional sectors, and the Europa Joven Madrid program. /
