Representing 17,000 citizens, ESN member, the City Council of Churriana de la Vega, a town near Granada (Spain), is responsible for planning, developing and providing social services such as inclusive employment and education, home care services, mental health care, housing and services related to ageing and disability.

The increasing cost of living and the impact of the pandemic on the most vulnerable people in Churriana de la Vega contributed to the launch of the project ¡Compartir es vida! (Sharing Improves Lives).

“When the cost of living is so high, one of the first things people and families 'sacrifice' is their access to social and cultural activities. As a result, many of them lose contact with others and feel isolated, something that can have a terrible impact on their physical and mental health”. – Antonio Narváez Morente, Mayor and Antonio Luis Rodriguez García, Councilor of Social Services, Churriana de la Vega.

The project's main goal is twofold. First, it aims to reduce the feeling of social isolation of older people and people with mental or physical ill-health by offering them a wide range of cultural, social, and physical activities such as sports, dance, workshops, outings, conferences, intergenerational meetings that help keep them active at no cost.
Secondly, the programme reaches out to people who are willing to share their home with those experiencing loneliness and high energy costs.

The programme fosters friendship, active participation in society, social inclusion, and inter-generational cooperation. Participants have expressed their feeling of being part of a community as one of the most important impacts on their daily lives.

Looking towards the future, the City Council of Churriana de la Vega's main purpose is to keep developing this initiative and increase the number of users.

Read more about the project here.