Caraballo: "My biggest challenge will be that no child or young person from Lanzarote and La Graciosa ever feels alone again"

The candidate of Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista (NC-BC) for the Presidency of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and La Graciosa and regional deputy, Yoné Caraballo, has placed the mental health of children and youth as one of the great challenges of the next decade on the island, assuring that one of the main commitments of his project to "Recover Lanzarote" will be that "no Lanzarotean child or young person will ever feel alone again when facing suffering, anxiety, depression, or any problem related to their mental health".

Caraballo considers that mental health must cease to be addressed solely from a healthcare response to become a genuine priority of insular public policies. In this regard, he argues that the Insular Council of Lanzarote must assume an active role in the prevention, support, and promotion of emotional well-being for the younger population.

"A society that emotionally abandons its children and adolescents is mortgaging its future. We cannot wait for problems to reach critical situations to act. We have to be there beforehand, support beforehand, and care beforehand," he stated.

The Canarian deputy proposes to promote, in collaboration with the Government of the Canary Islands and the educational community, an "Insular Plan for Child and Youth Emotional Well-being" that incorporates stable psychological support programs in educational centers, strengthens the prevention of self-harm and suicide behaviors, promotes safe spaces for listening and early intervention, and facilitates resources for families and teachers.

Furthermore, Caraballo reiterates the need to make a reality of the proposal for an Emotional Support Chat that he brought to the Parliament of the Canary Islands. A chat, which he named "ICO," that contributes to being an easily accessible tool for young people when they need it most.

"We cannot continue to normalize our young people carrying anxiety, bullying, social pressure, or uncertainty alone. They need professionals to listen to them, tools to manage their emotions, and an administration that tells them with actions that they are not alone," he pointed out.

The NC-BC candidate maintains that the Cabildo must coordinate an insular strategy with the town councils, educational centers, youth associations, and social entities to build a genuine emotional protection network that reaches all municipalities of Lanzarote and La Graciosa.

At the same time, Caraballo called on the Government of the Canary Islands to implement the Mental Health subunit in the Emergency Department of the Dr. José Molina Orosa University Hospital, increasing human and material resources specifically for child and adolescent care, reducing waiting times, and guaranteeing specialized, accessible, and continuous care for the island's families.

“Mental health cannot continue to be the great forgotten of our healthcare system. When a minor asks for help, time matters. Every delay poses an added risk, and every missing resource is a lost opportunity to prevent dramatic situations,” he warned.

From NC-BC, they believe that the increase in mental health problems among children and adolescents requires a brave and coordinated response from all public administrations, placing emotional well-being on the same level as any other essential policy.

“We want a Lanzarote and La Graciosa where growing up is not a solo race. An island where every child, every adolescent, and every young person knows that there is a community that accompanies them, that listens to them, and that will never turn its back on them. That will be one of the great commitments of the Cabildo that we want to build, an institution that also takes care of people when they need it most,” concluded Yoné Caraballo.