Youth Plan II: the roadmap to 2030
The Cabildo of Fuerteventura presented today the draft of the II Insular Youth Plan of Fuerteventura 2026‑2030, the strategic document that will guide the island government’s youth policies over the next five years. The event took place at the Insular Youth Center in Puerto del Rosario and was attended by President Lola García, Councillor for Education and Youth Adargoma Hernández, and the technical author of the plan, Naroe Valls.
The document, which will be sent to the participating agents and to the political groups of the island corporation before its approval in plenary, represents the continuation and improvement of the I Insular Youth Plan 2020‑2025, the first such plan in the island’s history.
The Cabildo has already forwarded the proposal to the Government of the Canary Islands during the recent visit of the Councillor for Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood and Families, requesting a financing line for island councils that adopt an insular youth plan to boost youth actions.
A Plan Adjusted to Reality and the Cabildo’s Competences
President Lola García emphasized that the new plan is sized to what the Cabildo can truly deliver: with the available budget, existing human resources, and within the competences assigned to island councils by the Canary Islands Youth Policy Law.
“There are problems that affect the youth of this island—housing, precarious employment, mental health—that we cannot solve solely from the Youth Department because they depend on the whole set of public policies and the general economic conditions. But what we can say is that from this Cabildo we work towards that broader goal from all areas of government,” García said.
“This plan focuses on what is within our remit, and does so rigorously with the aim of improving the living conditions of the young people of Fuerteventura. That, in the end, is what it is about.”
What the Diagnosis Says: The Reality of Fuerteventura’s Youth
The plan is based on a deep, rigorous diagnosis of the island’s youth situation, using data from ISTAC, the Youth Emancipation Observatory of the Spanish Youth Council, INJUVE, and a specific study carried out by the Cabildo in December 2024. The figures are stark:
- 22,829 young people aged 15‑29, representing 6 % of Canary youth.
- Youth unemployment in the Canary Islands stands at 24.74 %, with peaks above 35 % for the 16‑19 age group.
- The average rent price equals 99.4 % of a young person’s net salary, making emancipation practically impossible; only 20 % of Canary youth (16‑29) live outside the family home.
- 40.9 % of Canary youth are at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
- More than half of young people report having experienced mental‑health problems in the past year, with a pronounced gender gap: 60 % of girls versus 40 % of boys.
What Works, Stays. What Doesn’t, Is Eliminated
Councillor Adargoma Hernández highlighted that a key decision of the new plan was to start from an honest evaluation of the previous one.
“Keep what has worked, improve what had room for improvement, and eliminate what was unviable. We are not starting from scratch because it makes no sense when there are things that work.”
Consolidated and reinforced programs include:
- MaxoArte, the island’s flagship youth cultural initiative.
- Verano Joven (Young Summer).
- The sustainability and territory program.
- Grants to youth entities using the simplified justification model introduced by the I Plan.
In terms of youth information, the new plan unifies and professionalizes all channels: editorially curated social‑media content, an attractive dedicated website, direct communication lines, youth correspondents in schools, and informational screens in institutes. The goal is that any young person in any municipality knows what is available and how to access it.
The Milestones of the New Plan
- Creation of the Insular Youth Council of Fuerteventura – the democratic representation body required by Law 2/2023, to be launched in the first year of the plan.
- Start of the reform of the Tefía Youth Hostel – a unique resource in the island’s heart that needs upgraded facilities to join the Canary Islands Youth Hostel Network.
- Opening of the CIJ on weekends and improving access with its own independent entrance, signalling from the outset that the space belongs to young people.
27 Programs, 6 Strategic Axes, and €550,000 Annually
The II Plan is organized into 27 programs grouped under six strategic axes:
- Governance and Participation
- Network of Spaces and Infrastructure
- 360‑Degree Information and Communication
- Talent, Culture and Educational Leisure
- Social Welfare and Inclusion
- Territory, Sustainability and Future
Each program has concrete objectives, measurable indicators, and an assigned budget, with a reference investment of €550,000 per year for program activities (excluding the personnel chapter of the Department).
Automated Evaluation System
A pioneering automated monitoring system includes three standardized digital forms:
- Program monitoring sheet
- Activity sheet (mandatory for every entity receiving Cabildo funding)
- Satisfaction questionnaire
These are linked to a centralized dashboard, allowing, for the first time, a clear view of the real reach of all youth policies financed on the island. All indicators are disaggregated by sex, municipality, and age group.
Gender Perspective
A transversal gender perspective permeates every program, complemented by a dedicated diagnosis of gender inequalities, in line with the mandates of the Organic Law on Effective Equality and the Canary Law on Equality between Women and Men.
The plan is valid until 2030, structured in three phases with an intermediate evaluation in 2028, and will conclude with a final assessment and a public presentation of results to citizens.