The Government of the Canary Islands will distinguish this year the IES El Tablero-Aguañac, the Association of Volunteers in Emergencies and Rescue of Lanzarote (Emerlan), the Federation of Canary Entities of Venezuela (Fedecanarias) and the lawyer and diplomat Steve Alfonso Chiscano with the Valbanera 2026 Distinctions, recognitions that highlight the commitment of people and entities to the migratory reality of the Canary Islands, both from the perspective of reception and the preservation of the ties of Canary emigration.
The awarding of the prizes, the third since their establishment in 2024, will take place on September 10 in Jameos del Agua, in Lanzarote, in an event that will bring together four different stories united by the same idea: migration is part of the history of the Canary Islands and also of its present.
The Minister of Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood and Families, Candelaria Delgado, highlights that “the Valbanera awards allow us to recognize those who, from very different fields, contribute to making the Canary Islands a more open, more supportive society, aware of its own migratory history. For centuries, the Canary Islands have been a land of emigration and today it is also a land of reception, and these four recognitions precisely represent these two realities. They are stories of solidarity, integration, and commitment to a memory that we must not lose.”
The Valbanera 2026 Distinctions reflect the different dimensions of the migratory reality of the Canary Islands: education as a tool for integration, solidarity with those arriving on the islands, support for Canary communities abroad, and the preservation of a migratory memory that is part of the Archipelago's identity.
Four stories that, from the Canary Islands, Lanzarote, Venezuela, and Texas, contribute to keeping alive a link that the Government of the Canary Islands considers essential for understanding today's Canarian society.
Emerlan, solidarity on one of the most dangerous migratory routes
The Association of Volunteers in Emergencies and Rescue of Lanzarote (Emerlan) receives the 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 are 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 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.
Along with this work, it carries out important social and socio-health tasks, especially aimed at the elderly and those going through situations of vulnerability, 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 the first civil government of San Antonio. 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 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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