Youth in Elche Express Concerns on Housing, Employment, and Leisure in Meeting

Around thirty young people from Elche share their worries about future employment, access to housing, and cultural offerings with municipal representatives.

Generic image of a group of young people in a meeting, discussing local issues.
IA

Generic image of a group of young people in a meeting, discussing local issues.

Around thirty young people from Elche gathered to discuss and express their concerns on key issues such as housing, job prospects, and the city's leisure and cultural offerings.

The meeting, which lasted over two and a half hours, allowed participants from various fields—cultural, political, social, religious, and festive—to raise their concerns. The objective was to work on these issues and seek responses from the municipal administration, both currently and for the future.
Among the most prominent topics, the youth expressed uncertainty regarding job prospects and company hiring, despite their qualifications, and called for a stronger connection between education and the business sector. Housing also took a central role in the debate, especially due to high prices. A municipal representative explained the city council's proposal for affordable housing and reasonable rents, in addition to the youth emancipation aid offered by the State Housing Plan.

"We presented our commitment to permanently affordable housing and affordable rents, in addition to explaining that the State Housing Plan offers aid for youth emancipation."

a municipal representative
The city's leisure and cultural offerings generated extensive debate, as young people pointed out the lack of suitable spaces for leisure and the high prices for consumption. They also expressed that the patron saint festivities' offerings do not fully meet their needs and complained about the cost of concerts at the 'barraca'.
Other issues addressed included attacks on sexual diversity by some political groups governing the city council, which caused concern among young people who feel their rights are being violated. Mental health was also a point of discussion, highlighting the lack of accessible tools to address it. The municipal representative took note of all concerns and invited the youth to a follow-up meeting after the summer.