The Department of Social Policies closed this Thursday at the Siyâsa Museum the "Weaving Neighborhoods by Spinning Lives" project, developed in Cabezo de la Fuensantilla during the years 2022-2023/24 as part of the European Union's Next Generation Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
The event included a description of the citizen participation process by the project coordinator, Juana María Tudela, and a representative from the Cabezo neighborhood leadership group; a presentation of the graphic document created by the children's group from Cabezo de la Fuensantilla; and the coordination and artistic mediation of the active artistic practices and citizenship group from the UM Fine Arts Department.
A photographic exhibition of the project's development was also inaugurated.
Finally, this phase of the project was concluded, and future proposals were presented by Mayor Tomás Rubio and Councilor for Social Policies Gertrudis Juliá.
Both, along with Juana María Tudela, agreed in their highly positive assessment of the project, thanking the previous City Council for launching it in 2022 and noting that "this type of action should not be politically motivated, because it is a mission of society as a whole and of the administrations in general." Furthermore, they praised the "multidisciplinary nature of the activities carried out, which required cross-cutting action from several departments involved in the project."
Weaving Neighborhoods, Spinning Lives has been a groundbreaking project that has improved lives by responding to the needs of the residents of Cabezo de la Fuensantilla in Cieza.
Project funded by the European Union
The project's quality and innovation have been widely supported, as it was selected for funding by the European Union.
"Complex situations require complex actions." This phrase defined the essence of the project carried out as a result of the needs assessment conducted in Cabezo de la Fuensantilla in 2022 by the Department of Social Policies in collaboration with the University of Murcia.
This vulnerable area of Cieza, hit hard by the inclement weather of the Dana in 2019, has required and continues to require structural and social attention to revitalize community life and improve the quality of life of its residents. Consequently, in 2020, the Cieza City Council acted urgently, working in collaboration with third-sector organizations such as the Red Cross and Cáritas to repair the roofs of several homes, build retaining walls at risk of collapse, and clear slopes and common areas.
In this context, it was considered vitally important to create a project to comprehensively address the needs of this area of the town.
The result of the work carried out was the Community Participatory Research and Action Project called 'Weaving Neighborhoods, Spinning Lives'.
Next-Generation EU
The project was selected for EU funding under the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030's Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, through the Next-Generation EU recovery instruments.
Among their objectives, these budgets address the need to modernize, strengthen, and transform Social Services in Spain, and develop innovative projects in local entities for the comprehensive care of vulnerable populations.
The project is characterized by its innovative methodology, as it is based on networking. This method enables the involvement and collaborative work of institutional stakeholders, third-sector organizations, social organizations, and the residents of Cabezo de la Fuensantilla.
The participatory process has aimed to foster a break with situations and factors that have thus far influenced and fueled the growth of exclusion and individualism in the area, which hinders the development and participation of people in the community.
The proposed community actions have entailed a comprehensive process of change that the stakeholders involved are gradually implementing. "It is therefore a process that builds the present, but also the future. Major results cannot be achieved immediately; however, we are making steady progress."
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