Youth Council of Pozuelo de Alarcón.

The Youth Council of Pozuelo de Alarcón belongs to the local government of this town. Our institution encourages young people to participate in the social, sporting and cultural life of our town. We offer a wide and diverse range of programmes aimed at promoting a different way of spending leisure time. Our tasks consist in: - Cooperation with associations and informal youth groupsto help them accomplish their activities. - Organisation of specific actions to stimulate cultural interest and artistic creation among young people. - Coordination with other councils to carry out together programmes intended for young people. - Carry out actions to support integration of young people at risk of social exclusion and equality between men and women, regardless of race, religion or culture. - Organisation of leisure activities, cultural workshops, courses and voluntary work to acquire non-formal skills. - Information and counselling for young people about European Youth Card, Interrail, Erasmus plus programmes, etc. - Support of young people’s musical culture through our rehearsal studios and organised concerts. We carry out our activities in three different Youth Centers: CUBO Espacio Joven, Torreón Joven and Volcubo. In the building CUBO Espacio Joven we have the youth information office, two classrooms (one of them fully equipped with 12 computers), a multipurpose classroom (equipped with recreational and technologic resources) and two rehearsal studios. We also have a classroom in each of the other two buildings. Despite the fact that it is the first time that we participate in the Erasmus+ programme, the Youth Council of Pozuelo de Alarcón has plenty of experience in organising many actions that promote voluntary work, international mobility and language learning. In the youth information office, we inform and advice young people about different types of cards (like the European Youth Card) that we issue and that they can use to obtain discounts on cultural events, travels and lodgings. We also help young people who are interested in Interrail by updating them with the details needed to make the trip. We also have a travel notebook with a lot of information on lodgings and plenty of advice on how to prepare for the journey. Foreign languages have a prominent role among the skills that will help equip people better for the labour market and make the most of available opportunities. Therefore, we promote language learning and linguistic diversity by having a permanent linguistic support. We offer young people English and German language courses every three months to increase their employability, make mobility more efficient and effective and help them communicate with young people from other parts of the world. The Youth Council of Pozuelo de Alarcón has been promoting and organising local/national voluntary programmes for decades: reconditioning of low income families’ homes, environmental volunteering (e.g.: Prestige), breakfast volunteering for homeless people and organisation of activities on special days in collaboration with other associations (e.g.: child’s day). Currently, we are carrying out young voluntary work, on a weekly basis, at a retirement home with old women. For the moment, all of our voluntary programmes have been executed at a local or national level. We consider that getting involved in the European Voluntary Service will give the young volunteers a cultural and educational expertise from other countries that will be very encouraging for their future.