The Cabildo of Lanzarote, through the Areas of Social Welfare and Inclusion and Education, has successfully completed the 2024-2025 edition of the program "Educating in Equal Justice", an initiative promoted together with the Association of Women Judges of Spain (AMJE) with the aim of raising awareness among students about the values of equality and non-discrimination from an equal justice perspective.
Throughout the school year, more than 300 1st year high school students from eight educational centers on the island participated in this pioneering program, which combines theoretical training in the classroom with a practical immersion in the judicial environment. Participating centers include IES Salinas, CIFP Zonzamas, Colegio Arenas Internacional, IES Altavista, IES César Manrique, IES Las Maretas, IES Costa Teguise, IES Haría and IES Playa Honda.
The Minister of Education, Ascensión Toledo, thanked "the willingness and dedication of the teachers and students of the entire island educational team to achieve higher levels of equity and social justice." In addition, she stressed that "those who want to practice law will be better prepared and alerted to this type of situation that is experienced on a daily basis."
For his part, the Minister of Social Welfare and Inclusion, Marci Acuña, highly valued the experience and stressed that "planting critical awareness from the classroom is a direct investment in a more just, egalitarian and violence-free society. Lanzarote is once again a benchmark in the promotion of transformative public policies aimed at our youth."
In addition, the promoter of the program in Lanzarote, Gloria Poyatos, recalled that education is the vaccine against gender violence because it is easier to educate a strong girl and a boy in equality than to repair a broken woman.
The project has offered students tools to identify and analyze situations of discrimination, gender violence or sexist stereotypes, while allowing them to learn about the functioning of the judicial system through visits to judicial facilities and attendance at public trials.
As a final touch, the four finalist groups of the program had the opportunity to stage a realistic trial in the Hearing Room of the Judicial Building of Arrecife, after months of preparation and advice from professionals in the legal field. The representations were carried out on May 19 and 26, with the participation of the IES Altavista and CIFP Zonzamas centers on the first day, and IES Las Maretas and Colegio Arenas Internacional on the second.
The "Educating in Equal Justice" program has been an example of institutional collaboration and commitment to education in values, which prepares new generations to build a more just and egalitarian future from knowledge and critical reflection.
