Cal Badia

The Shall We Awaken Cal Badia? process is a project for the participatory definition of the uses and management of a youth facility in Igualada. It emerged as a response from the local administration to the demand for access to municipal spaces where young people, youth organizations, and entities running youth projects could carry out their activities. In response to this need, the Youth Department —and consequently the Igualada City Council— proposed refurbishing the Cal Badia site —at the time home to a colony of cats— to become a new space for gathering, exchange, and debate among the city’s youth.

Cal Badia is a former summer residence located at the entrance to the town. It has two floors and an attic space, with a total area of around 500 m² on a 700 m² landscaped plot.

The work we carried out began with the definition and design of the information and outreach campaign. On one hand, digital communication was prioritized with the creation of a website, a Facebook page, and the Twitter hashtag #BonDiaBadia, where the process could be followed. On the other hand, to reach other groups, posters were placed directly on the perimeter wall of Cal Badia to announce the start of the process. Each workshop and activity was also advertised with posters around the city and shared via social media platforms.

Over five months, thematic workshops and empowerment sessions were held. The final workshop took place inside the building — a particularly inspiring moment, as until then the building had only been known from the outside, via drawings and a scale model. These tools helped shape a collective vision, define the activities to be developed, and outline the future management model.

You can find all the information about the process at www.calbadia.cat, where the conclusions document (PDF with annexes) is available. Also, at http://igualadajove.cat/proces-participatiu-de-cal-badia/, you can watch a short video showing the different working sessions.