Close to a thousand students and teachers have participated in the III Trobada de Secundaria del Camp de Túria this Friday at the IES Les Alfàbegues de Bétera (Valencia) to promote Valencian among adolescent students as a «native and everyday» language.
This event was organized by the Coordinadora por el valencià Camp de Túria and the City Council of Bétera, with the collaboration of educational centers, groups, and other entities in the region, as indicated by Escola Valenciana in a statement.
Under the motto ‘in valencià, free and with pride’ and the song ‘Paradís’ by the group Bèrnia in the background, students from the high schools of Bétera, l’Eliana, la Pobla de Vallbona, Llíria, Riba-roja del Túria, and Vilamarxant have enjoyed activities such as badge workshops, esparto craftsmanship, traditional embroidery, recycling, ‘muixeranga’ or bookmarks, the Pinfuvote competition, the Moors parade, or a live radio program. The program included a performance by DJ Jeyzz.
The president of Escola Valenciana and member of the Coordinadora por el valencià Camp de Túria, Alexandra Usó i Carinyera, has emphasized that with this action «the aim is to promote Valencian among young audiences through activities of their interest.»
«For young people, Valencian is a language of formal or academic environments, so it is necessary to normalize its use in more playful settings, so that they recognize it as their own and everyday,» stated the activist.
Usó highlighted the work of the educational community for the celebration of this «milestone,» especially the teaching staff of the organizing committee, as well as the involvement of the students.
Additionally, she announced the winners of the poster contest, Sofia Gras López and Anna Julia Lakes, from the IES Les Alfàbegues de Bétera.
ATTENDEES
The educational community was accompanied by the Councilor of Education and Culture of the City Council of Bétera, Manuel José Alberto Chover Lara; Vicenta Tasa, from the Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua; the deputy Pau Andrés Anglés; the mayor and the Councilor of Education of Llíria, Joanma Miguel León and Juani García Portolés; the Councilor of Language Policy of l’Eliana, Isabel Montaner Borja, as well as members of various cultural, social, and union entities in the region, such as AVAPACE, Associació Pentagrama de Llíria, Plataforma per la Llengua, FECCOOPV, and STEPV-IC.
The event is supported by the Department of Education of the Generalitat Valenciana, the Diputación de Valencia, and the Mancomunitat Camp de Túria.
The municipality of Serra will host the regional phase of the 27th Sambori Award next Saturday, May 17; the Trobada Musical, on the 20th, 21st, and 22nd, as well as the Trobada d’Escoles en Valencià del Camp de Túria for kindergarten and primary education, on Saturday, the 24th.
The municipalities that will host the upcoming Trobades d’Escola Valenciana are Xàtiva, la Costera (May 17); Serra, el Camp de Túria (May 24); el Ràfol d’Almúnia, la Marina Alta, and Benimantell, la Marina Baixa (May 24); Betxí, la Plana Alta, la Plana Baixa, and l’Alcalatén (May 25); Fageca, l’Alcoià-Comtat, and Gandia, la Safor-Valldigna (May 31).
