In Madrid, during the month of June, the CoolKids workshops began in parallel to the energy bills and energy culture workshops. They were held on the afternoons of 23 and 27 June, in which a total of 8 children attended. These workshops aim to facilitate the participation of families in the rest of the activities by providing a specific space for children. The workshops for children consisted mainly of handicrafts in which they were able to make a windmill, as well as generating spaces for conversation about the summer in which they could tell what they felt like doing and what they didn’t feel like doing during the hottest days. They also commented on the use of the fan and how ventilation can be used during the summer.
Meanwhile, in Barcelona during the month of June we have progressed with workshops for people in vulnerable situations. In particular, the workshops have been held at neighbourhood facilities – in order to strengthen the local level and assist those interested near their homes). During June we had two: one at the community center for senior citizens called Casal de Barri la Llacuna and another one on a social housing building placed at the Marina neighbourhood. Also, a program called Preinfant was developed. A program which is addressed to vulnerable young mothers with small children, from the ABD NGO. Given that this year in Spain we have already faced heat waves before the official start of the summer, we have focussed these workshops on how to mitigate the heat during these periods, strategies to deal with the “heat island effect”, advice applicable at a personal, dwelling and communal level. During the upcoming workshops we will continue to focus on “heat mitigating strategies” but also on “how to optimize your energy contracts and use”.
