Geography in Action welcomes students from IE Barnola to rethink Avinyó.
On Tuesday, February 25, a new edition of the Geography in Action workshop took place, with the participation of 37 third- and fourth-year secondary school students from IE Barnola in Avinyó.
The session began with an introduction to GIS tools (Geographic Information Systems), followed by the presentation of several examples of research projects linked to the Department of Geography.
In the second part of the workshop, concepts such as territory, rural and urban space, quality of life, and territorial planning were discussed. Based on these ideas, students were asked the question: “If you could improve or change something in your municipality, what would you do?”
The discussion that emerged highlighted issues clearly connected to the challenges faced by rural municipalities: dependence on private vehicles and mobility difficulties, the lack of spaces and activities for young people, the need to maintain local services and businesses, as well as environmental management and preservation. Students then worked in groups to define a specific problem, analyse its causes and consequences, and propose improvement measures. The proposed solutions were creative and bold, aimed at improving the quality of life in the municipality. This open approach enriched the debate and demonstrated the students’ potential to think about the future of their environment beyond the limiting assumptions acquired over time.
The workshop, led by Meritxell Gisbert and Laura Sala, was organized by the Department of Geography and the Institute of Education Sciences (ICE) at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
At the link you can view the photographs of the posters produced by the students.