Wednesday 18th April

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    "The CITIES project has made me more aware of the role I can play in my own community", says participant Joan Marí LLorens.
In January, this Spanish student was spending a week in Poznan where he learnt about how young people can actively take part in local democratic processes. Among other things, he learnt how to set up a debate after the Oxford model, the so called “Oxford debate”. Some weeks ago, he was participating with his school setting up a debate discussing to what degree young people on Ibiza have influence in their own society. This week Joan is one of the young hosts when IES Algarb is receiving 24 students from The Netherlands, Poland, Germany and Norway.
Together with Kari Jervell, one of the Norwegian students, he is editing a brochure which aims to sum up the impact the CITIES has had during the three years the project has been running. "There is no problem working together with the students from the other countries", says Kari. "We discuss the matters and decide with ease. Personally, the project has left me with awareness of my own voice in my community."

On Thursday the brochures will be presented at local schools on Ibiza, and the students have been working throughout the day with their presentations.

This afternoon students and teachers visited the Dalt Vila, the old city of Ibiza. The guide, history teacher Antonia Cardona, gave a brief historic backdrop on the Ibiza castle. The island has been populated since the 6^th century B.C. Ibiza was attractive for trade because of its location.

On the route through the very picturesque streets of the old city, the group stopped by an important spot. From 902 A.C. Berbers from North Africa ruled the island and inhabited the fortress. The 8^th of August 1235 A.C. the Catalans managed to overtake the power. They besieged the fortress for a long time without succeeding to enter. A local legend tells the story of how the Vali (governor of the muslim city) had a relationship with his brother’s wife. This naturally upset the brother of the Vali, and to revenge himself, he opened a secret passage (on the photo) and let the Catalans in. Antonia Cardona explained how this action is commemorated by the Ibizians putting down flowers on this very spot on the 8^th August every year.