“Today we celebrate our memory, our identity and, above all, our way of understanding coexistence. Our experience as an emigrant people allows us to view migration with empathy, with humanity and also with responsibility”. With these words, the Minister of Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood and Families, Candelaria Delgado, highlighted the work carried out on the islands by IES El Tablero–Aguañac, Emerlan, the Federation of Canary Islands Entities of Venezuela, Fedecanarias, and the lawyer Steve Alfonso Chiscano to address the migratory reality and facilitate coexistence during the award ceremony this Thursday (September 10), of the Valbanera 2026 distinctions in the auditorium of Jameos del Agua, Lanzarote.
The presentation of these distinctions marks the culmination of the III edition of MIGRADMI, a meeting promoted by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood and Families that has brought together public administrations, social entities and professionals from all over the State in the Canary Islands for two days to share strategies and experiences in matters of migration, cultural diversity and community inclusion.
“All the people and entities awarded have something in common: they represent that capacity we have as a society to build bridges between people, generations and places,” assured the minister at the event, describing the Canary Islands as “a land of welcome, which does not forget those who left. We maintain our ties with the Canary Islands communities abroad and understand that diversity is part of its present and also its future,” indicated Delgado.
The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, Oswaldo Betancort, expressed himself in the same vein, highlighting that “the Canary Islands know migration from both shores; for generations, thousands of Canary Islanders had to leave in search of opportunities, and today we are also a land of arrival and the southern border of Europe. That history allows us to face this reality with memory, humanity and responsibility”. Betancort also pointed out that “Lanzarote responds with actions, mobilizing professionals, services and resources when necessary, but our condition as a territory of arrival also demands planning, financing and co-responsibility from the State and Europe. The Canary Islands must have its own voice in decisions about a reality that we are experiencing here on the front line”.
The Director General of Emigration, José Téllez, highlighted the work done by the Distinction of the Federation of Canary Islands Entities in Venezuela, FEDECanarias, to unite all Canary Islands entities in Venezuela and their work in the social and cultural sphere, and their predisposition and involvement with Canarianness in the country, especially at this time when it has been hit by the earthquake.”
He also pointed out the work done by Steve Chiscano, honorary consul of Spain in San Antonio, Texas, “a great ambassador of the Canary Islands, disseminating and promoting its gastronomy, its identity, its ties, its heritage, and he has also been a great promoter of the new Alamo Museum project with the defense of the history of the Canary Islands in San Antonio, for which his work vouches for him and his acquired heritage from his father, Dr. Chiscano, as well.”
The Director General of Social Services and Immigration, Elisabet Santana, contextualized the Valbanera distinctions award ceremony within the celebration of the third edition of MIGRADMI, “an event that has allowed us to share strategies and experiences in migration, cultural diversity, and community inclusion, focusing on the neighborhood as a unit of intervention.” “It is, without a doubt, the best epilogue for an event that has brought together more than 300 people in Lanzarote for two days around the phenomenon of migration.”
2026 Distinctions
The 2026 Valbanera Distinctions reflect the different dimensions of Canary Islands' migratory reality: education as a tool for integration, solidarity with those arriving on the islands, support for Canary Islands communities abroad, and the preservation of a migratory memory that is part of the Archipelago's identity.
Emerlan, solidarity on one of the most dangerous migratory routes
The Lanzarote Volunteer Association for Emergencies and Rescue (Emerlan) receives recognition for more than two decades of commitment to volunteering, rescue, and care for people in vulnerable situations.
Since its creation in 2001, more than 120 volunteers have been part of an organization dedicated to rescue, healthcare, maritime safety, and emergency assistance.
Their work takes on special relevance on the Atlantic migratory route, one of the most dangerous in the world. In coordination with administrations and emergency services, their volunteers participate in assisting people rescued at sea and provide support to the humanitarian efforts deployed on the islands.
To this emergency response is added a task of prevention, training, and social action developed from Lanzarote and La Graciosa and at the service of the whole of the Canary Islands.
A school that turns diversity into learning
The IES El Tablero-Aguañac, in Gran Canaria, receives the Valbanera Distinction for its work in turning the diversity of its classrooms into an opportunity to educate in coexistence, inclusion, and respect.
The center has students from more than thirty nationalities and has made interculturality one of the essential elements of its educational project. Among its initiatives, "Africa: a positive look" stands out, through which it brings students closer to the reality of the neighboring continent through knowledge and far from prejudices and stereotypes, also addressing migration and the historical, geographical, and human ties that unite the Canary Islands and Africa.
Its trajectory represents the role of education as a tool to foster encounters between cultures and make diversity a source of collective learning and enrichment.
FEDECANARIAS, a bridge between the Canary Islands and Venezuela
The Federation of Canary Islands Entities in Venezuela (Fedecanarias) is recognized for its trajectory as a meeting point for the Canary Islands community in Venezuela and for keeping alive, generation after generation, the link between the islands and a country deeply linked to the history of Canary Islands emigration.
Founded in 1990, the Federation groups and coordinates the Canary Islands associative fabric in Venezuela and contributes to preserving and transmitting the culture, traditions, history, and identity of the Canary Islands.
Alongside this work, it carries out important social and socio-health tasks, especially aimed at the elderly and those going through vulnerable situations, collaborating in the management of aid, medicines, and assistance programs in coordination with the Government of the Canary Islands.
Steve Chiscano and three centuries of shared history
The fourth Valbanera Distinction falls to Steve Alfonso Chiscano, a lawyer, diplomat, and civic leader who has carried out intense work to preserve and strengthen ties between the Canary Islands and San Antonio, Texas.
His career is closely linked to a history that began almost three centuries ago, when 56 islanders arrived in Texas and participated in the founding of San Antonio's first civil government. Since 2020, Chiscano has served as honorary consul of Spain in the city and has promoted cultural, institutional, and economic initiatives aimed at strengthening the relationship with the Canary Islands.
Among these are the twinning between San Antonio and Lanzarote, the incorporation of Canary Islands history and legacy into the new Alamo Museum, and the preservation of spaces linked to the islanders' footprint, such as the historic Cathedral of San Fernando and the Plaza de las Islas Canarias.
His work has contributed to keeping alive a legacy that unites two peoples separated by the Atlantic, but connected by almost three hundred years of shared history.
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