The City Council of Colmenar Viejo has created the Children's and Youth Participation Commission (COPIA), a body for children and young people aged 8 to 17 to propose ideas about municipal life. Registrations open on September 8.
The City Council of Colmenar Viejo has launched the Children's and Youth Participation Commission (COPIA), a new municipal body for minors aged between 8 and 17 to express their opinions and proposals about the municipality. The initiative, driven by the Department of Youth and Childhood through La Casa de la Juventud, will start in the 2026-2027 academic year.
The registration period will open on September 8 and the activity will take place from October 2026 to June 2027, free of charge. Sessions will be held on the first Wednesday of each month, following the school calendar, at the facilities of La Casa de la Juventud.
The commission will be organized into two groups: COPIA Infancy, for participants aged 8 to 12, and COPIA Adolescence, for young people aged 13 to 17. Each group will have a presidency, which will be held by the director of La Casa de la Juventud, a secretariat, and 20 members, positions that will be filled by the minors themselves.
Interested parties can register through a form available on the municipal website. Participation is open to children and adolescents from educational centres, parents' associations, sports clubs, and other entities in the municipality.
During the sessions, activities will be conducted to encourage debate, the exchange of ideas, and the development of proposals on issues affecting childhood and adolescence. These initiatives will subsequently be presented to the City Council. Participation will be inclusive, aiming to facilitate the incorporation of all minors, including those with special needs or disabilities.
The programme includes two institutional meetings in addition to the regular sessions. In January, the commission members will present the proposals developed during the first months of work to the City Council. In June, a second meeting will be held to respond to the initiatives raised, assess the course, and share the project's results.
The City Council has indicated that the existence of children's participation bodies is one of the requirements to qualify for the recognition of Child-Friendly City, promoted by UNICEF. With the creation of COPIA, Colmenar Viejo takes a step forward for young people to participate in an organized manner in municipal matters that affect their daily lives.
For the residents of Colmenar Viejo, this commission represents an opportunity for their children and grandchildren to have a voice in local decisions, such as the offering of youth activities, the maintenance of parks, or the organization of events. Families will be able to find out about the registration process starting September 8 on the City Council's website.
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