Actividades comunitarias en los Casals de Barri de Barcelona

Barcelona's Neighborhood Community Centers Collaborate in a Week of Activities

The neighborhood community centers in Barcelona are reorganizing to create new networking opportunities and move towards a more community-oriented model. The initiative 'De casal en casal, participa en el sidral!' (From community center to community center, participate in the sidral!) presents a week of exchange activities where participating community centers open up some of their community events to other centers in the city. Out of the 44 neighborhood community centers spread throughout the city, 34 are participating with a total of 5 diverse activities.

Activities in Horta-Guinardó

Here are the scheduled activities in the district as part of the project. The complete schedule for the entire city can be found in the attached PDF. All activities are free of charge.

Casal de Barri La Barraca del Carmel
(Llobregós Street, 107-113) - Website

• Gentle gymnastics
  Monday, October 21, from 12:30 to 13:30
  This activity is led by local residents who want to build a network. It is aimed at older adults, as well as women and men who wish to engage in low-impact physical activities.

Casal de Barri Font d'en Fargues
(Pedrell Street, 67-69) - Website

• 'Teixint el barri' (Weaving the neighborhood)
  Wednesday, October 23, at 10:00
  If you enjoy sewing, repairing clothing, and sharing tips, come discover the super women from the cultural recreational association '40 p'arriba, 40 p'abajo' and their makeshift workshop held every Wednesday morning at the center. Open to everyone.
• An afternoon of table tennis
  Friday, October 25, at 17:00
  The table tennis group at Font d'en Fargues opens its doors to anyone who wants to play this easy and dynamic sport. Enjoy a fun evening while discovering the center and its community.

Casal Más Guinardó
(Salvador Riera Square, 2) - Website

• Festival 'Empodera't'. Concert SocAixina 'Canciones de Nadie'
  Friday, October 25, at 20:00
  A feminist project of performing arts, directed and performed by women, and promoted by the neighborhood community centers and the Sala Polivalente Montbau in the Horta-Guinardó district, to foster connections between people and different neighborhoods. The goal is to use the stage as a platform for empowerment, where women's leading role is emphasized through solidarity. Suitable for all audiences.

Casal de Barrio Can Baró-El Pirineo
(Josep Serrano Street, 59) - Website

• Friday at the center
  Friday, October 25, from 19:00 to 21:00
  Visit the exhibition 'Fútbol: clubes desaparecidos de la ciudad de Barcelona' (Football: disappeared clubs of Barcelona), curated by the community center. Suitable for all audiences.
• Festival 'Empodera't'. Open Mic 'Periferikxs!'
  Friday, October 25, from 20:00 to 21:30
  Featuring Cía. Periferikxs Comedy. The stand-up comedy open mic from the dissidents, making their voices heard in the peripheries and challenging the posh people of the "city" with neighborhood love. A show with D.O. Txarnega, including stand-up comedy and karaoke. All identities are welcome, and it may end up being a ridiculous night. Are you up for some laughter? Come to Periferikxs! Suitable for all audiences.

Casal de Barrio Casa Trabe de la Vall d'Hebron
(Cardenal Vidal i Barraquer Avenue, 45) - Website

• Festival 'Empodera't'. Cabaret Empodera't'
  Saturday, October 26, at 20:00
  One of the boldest and most anticipated events of the Empodera't Festival. With an open, multidisciplinary, and transformative format that brings proposals that would not typically be found in a traditional cabaret. A night where emerging women artists in performing arts come together to offer an evening of advocacy, fun, and rebellion. This year, it features collaborations with Periferikxs (@periferikxscomedy) and performances by 'Las Glorias Cabareteras,' 'Nessa Molina,' 'La Maria Rosa,' and 'Salem.'

The Network of Neighborhood Community Centers in Barcelona

The neighborhood community centers have been around for about two decades, but in the last fifteen years, their numbers have doubled. They represent a diverse range of facilities but, in most cases, they are the result of grassroots and associative efforts to improve the social conditions and quality of life in the city's neighborhoods through sociocultural community activities. Their purpose is to serve as a meeting place and foster interrelationships, as well as to strengthen the sense of belonging and neighborhood identity.

Currently, the majority of these community centers (63%) are managed by local neighborhood entities or associations through a civic management model. The rest are managed by companies contracted through service concession procedures.

Their role in the neighborhood is that of a local facility that promotes social and associative life, with a local, inclusive, and intergenerational perspective. Participation, emotional well-being, and co-construction of projects are defining elements of these community centers. They operate based on volunteerism and mutual collaboration, following the principles of community-oriented centers.

In recent years, as part of their community model definition, the neighborhood community centers have been working together to strengthen their role as a network and establish a place in the collective imagination of the city. They believe that their type of facilities is not well-known among the general population.

The project 'De casal en casal, participa del sidral' is the first result of this effort to consolidate the network.