Present

The program "Eclipse for everyone: Leisure" will bring children and young people who participate in leisure spaces closer to various knowledge and dissemination activities on the occasion of the total solar eclipse on August 12th

The Minister of Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat, presented this morning the program “Eclipse for everyone: Leisure”, with the aim of bringing children and young people who participate in leisure spaces closer to various knowledge and dissemination activities on the occasion of the total solar eclipse on August 12.

In her speech, Minister Montserrat highlighted “the social impact of the eclipse and its potential as an inspiration for scientific vocations and to strengthen the link between science and society is undeniable.” In the opinion of the Minister, “we must take advantage of the unique opportunity that this event offers us, an extraordinary window to collaborate and to value science, making it accessible to all citizens from an inclusive perspective.”

The initiative represents an application in the world of leisure of the project “Eclipse for everyone”, promoted by the departments of Research and Universities and Education and Vocational Training, as well as by the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRi), with the collaboration of the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IECC) and the Institute of Cosmos Sciences (ICCUB) and the Fundesplai entity. The activities have a potential audience of more than 100,000 children in some 1,800 summer activities organized throughout the territory.

The purpose of the program is to contribute to turning an exceptional astronomical event such as the total solar eclipse of August 12 into an educational, participatory and rigorous experience, ensuring that everyone, especially in areas outside the zone of totality of the eclipse, can understand the phenomenon. All of this is part of “Catalonia looks to the sky”, the outreach program promoted by the Government on the occasion of the 2026 eclipse.

Educational leisure, a tool for integral development

The presentation of the “Eclipse for everyone: Leisure” program took place at the headquarters of the Fundesplai entity in El Prat de Llobregat with the participation, in addition to the minister, of the director of the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRi), Miquel Gómez, and the general director of Fundesplai, Cristina Rodríguez.

The director of the FCRi, Miquel Gómez, emphasized that outreach activities “should not remain only in schools and have implications for adapting the learning situation for educational leisure activities, summer camps, play areas and dens, for monitors and leisure leaders.”

For her part, the director of Fundesplai, Cristina Rodríguez, has defended that “bringing science closer through educational leisure has enormous value. It helps us understand phenomena like the eclipse and gives us tools to interpret reality with rigor and responsibility.” In addition, Rodríguez has maintained that “an eclipse is a shared phenomenon. For a few moments, all eyes are directed towards the sky. This reminds us that we share the same planet and that what is happening challenges us all. Therefore, Eclipsada is an educational opportunity to work on the values ​​of global awareness and the ability to learn together.”