News

Formentera poised to take reigns on equality, action against gender violence and LGTBI policy

Thursday, 22 November 2018 17:12

foto consell premsa From January 1, 2019 the social welfare department of the Formentera Council will assume responsibility for matters related to equality, gender violence and LGTBI policy.

For months the department has nurtured cooperation with the Balearic first minister's office to see the hand-off of authority in functions and services is properly funded. Those same negotiations are now singled out as having been crucial to the €125,844.55 in appropriations that Formentera is set to receive from Palma (the figure used to be €20,000).

Social welfare secretary Vanessa Parellada pointed out that an existing agreement meant the financial burden of victim care and violence prevention were split two ways—“though, to do the right thing, the Council has historically made up the difference when funds came up short”. Parellada heralded the new era of Council control in the three spheres, saying it would create the possibility of “more community-oriented action and fairer funding”.

First round of signups starts for Formentera half marathon, 8K run

Thursday, 22 November 2018 15:09

foto-mitja-marato---11 The office of sport of the Formentera Council announces that Thursday November 22 marks the start of the first round of signups (preinscipcions) for the Formentera half-marathon and 8K run, both of which are scheduled to take place Saturday May 11, 2019, with space available for 2,000 and 1,000 respectively.

At the close of signups today, the first day, the sports department reported 300 requests.

How the first round works
Due to the large number of runners who wish to participate every year, organisers use a lottery system for the two events to determine who can run. The first round of registration closes Monday December 17. After completing this step, hopeful participants will receive an email with their lottery number.

Runners wishing to compete together should complete preinscripcions simultaneously to ensure consecutive lottery numbers.

The notary public overseeing the drawing on Wednesday December 19 will choose a number at random for each distance. The process continues until no places remain, and runners whose number is called will compete in the corresponding circuit.

The second round of registration, including online payment, can be completed between December 21 and January 10, 2019 at unisportconsulting.com. Registration costs €33 for the half-marathon and €18 for the 8K run from Sant Ferran to La Savina. Runners who not already have the required “yellow chip” must add another €3 for chip rental to the final price-tag.

If places remain at the close of signups, available spots will be assigned consecutively to the numbers after the cut-off point until none are left.

Some runners, like those who have competed in at least five past editions of the runs, are not required to participate in the lottery and are guaranteed inclusion. These individuals will receive instructions via email on how to access the second-round signup page. Also exempt are Formentera residents, who should contact the CiF sports department for their access code.

Formentera celebrates International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Wednesday, 21 November 2018 17:33

foto dia discapacitat 2018 2 The Formentera Council social welfare office reports that the programme of activities which begins this Monday, December 3, to commemorate International Day of Persons with Disabilities was unveiled today.

Vanessa Parellada, the Council's secretary of social welfare, and Marta Uriarte, director of the island's dependent care centre, the Centre de Dia, were joined by representatives of the Eivissa-Formentera association for people with special needs (APNEEF), the Pau Mayans association for the integration of people on the autism spectrum (APMIPTEA) and the Pityusic association for educational and social inclusion (APIES) in presenting a host of events scheduled to take place from November 28 to December 16.

First ever Jornades sobre la Discapacitat

On Wednesday, November 28, the first Jornades sobre la Discapacitat, day-long features on the resources and services available locally people with disabilities, will take place in the Centre de Dia's conference hall. Parellada described the gatherings as “a showcase for efforts that are under way locally—partnerships with a range of groups working to support people with disabilities—aimed at meeting needs within this community”. The idea, says the secretary, is to educate families about the resources that exist to help them.

The Jornades get started at 9.30am and will begin with a presentation of the activities offered at the service for childhood development and early care (SEDIAP), DISCARED Ibiza, the network of families of people with disabilities and APIES, plus a look at APMIPTEA's Formatea project. The event will be followed with a round-table discussion and will close with an open day at the dependent care facility.

Other activities

For International Day of Persons with Disabilities, from 11.00am to 1.00pm on Monday, December 3, groups will mount information stands in Sant Francesc's plaça de la Constitució. APNEEF, APMIPTEA and APIES will share information about the activities and programmes they organise on Formentera and sell handkerchiefs for the charity walk.

December 8, the local cinema (Sala de Cultura) welcomes back Campeones, Spain's contribution to this year's Oscar awards. The free screening starts at 6.00pm.

Second Caminada Solidària
The final event for International Day of Persons with Disabilities happens Saturday December 16 with the second annual Caminada Solidària. The tagline of this year's walk is “Walking together without barriers” and participants will set out on a two-kilometre route from jardí de ses Eres. “The walk is accessible for people with a range of disabilities”, confided Parellada. “so everyone can take part”. Walkers are expected at 1.00pm for snacks in jardí de ses Eres.

Kids' “Safari” enlists animals of savanna to explore bullying

Thursday, 22 November 2018 13:30

foto-la baldufa safari1 The Formentera Council's office of culture announces a 6.00pm performance of Safari, a children's puppet show, this Saturday November 24 in the cinema (Sala de Cultura, €3). Running the show is La Baldufa, a heralded set on the Catalan circuit whose act has been seen in nearly every country in Europe.

Story
Fans will recognise Safari's two leads, Pinyot and Carabassot, from Embolic a la Granja. The pair recount the backstory of their current ordeal in the savanna, where they were brought in search of their missing friend, Lion. When the investigation starts, it's none other than Giraffe, Monkey, Elephant and Crocodile who rise to the task. Their adventure will land them face to face with a weary and reflective Lion, seemingly deprived of his roar. Their minds made up to crack the case and lend Lion a hand, the intrepid detectives of La Baldufa resolve to get to the bottom of Lion's woes.

Culture secretary Susana Labrador flagged the show's underlying theme—bullying—while pointing out “Safari's winning conceit is to use playfulness to get children to think about what behaviour of their own might be hurtful—and at the same time, give them ideas and tools for making peaceful coexistence possible”. Observing Pinyot and Carabassot's tendency to worry, one sees them as prime candidates for comparisons to parents and teachers.

The company believe in using education and hard work to generate the positive attitudes and action that are crucial to shared spaces becoming sites of copasetic shared living. La Baldufa's twenty years in show business have been characterised by eminent artistic mettle and ideological convictions like solidarity, tolerance and respect.

Safari is part of the Ministry of Culture's Platea programme as well as the Formentera Council-supported theatre series "L'Illa a Escena".

Formentera joins calls for funding reform in the Balearics

Tuesday, 20 November 2018 17:01

foto plataforma financiacio The Formentera Council reports that two administration officials —first deputy chair Susana Labrador and tax office secretary Bartomeu Escandell— have met this week with spokespeople from a group called Platform for Fair Funding in the Balearic Islands.

The tax office chief underscored the importance of “getting our islands a REIB that makes good on all the funding deficits we've got with Madrid”, using an initialism that refers to a proposed “special funding regime” for islands in the archipelago. The Formentera Council, said Escandell, “has always maintained our region doesn't get the funding from Madrid that it should”, confiding that that was behind the administration's decision to join the chorus of calls for a fair funding scheme for the Balearics and Formentera.

The Platform's goal is to educate politicians and society so longstanding pleas for a funding adjustment are finally heard. Their hope is to bring ordinary people on board as well, so Balearic society be fully united in its call for appropriate funding.

Among several of the group's appeals is a call for a new funding model; acknowledgement (via adoption of the REIB) that islanders face significant differences due to geographical circumstances; progressive and substantial increase of investment coming out of Madrid; payment of still outstanding corporate investments; shared responsability with Madrid for the region's debt; measures to ease airport congestion and repeal of the so-called “Montoro Law”.