Opportunities for children and young people to get as far as they want
together with their familiy and community
Germina Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation located in Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Badalona (Barcelona area, Spain). Founded in 2004, we offer support and opportunities to children, teens, young adults and families from a socially disadvantaged background. More than 300 children and teens participate each day in our social programmes. A mixed team of volunteers and professional staff is in charge of all activities.
children and young people cared for every day
volunteers and interns each year
improve school grades after 2 years
young people say they feel more confident in their decisions
families participate in the workshops each year by strengthening their network of relationships
What we do ?
We support children, teens and young adults by implementing socio-educational and community programmes:
This is an after-school club for children aged 5-12. We offer a healthy environment for the development of all children. After a daily snack and playground time, children receive an hour of dedicated support for school homework, followed by another hour of educational activities such as sports, arts, cooking workshops or visits to the library or public parks. Special activities such as urban camps or fieldtrips to the mountains are held during school holidays.
This is the after-school programme for teens aged 12-16 who are in secondary education. The programme provides healthy leisure time and school support. Every weekday afternoon, teens meet to play some games, have a snack, or engage in friendly conversations. Afterwards, they spend some time studying, either doing their homework or using new and attractive ways of learning. Each day finishes with a group activity chosen by them according to their interests (sports, relaxing, cooking…). This programme also runs during school holidays in the morning.
“Great journey” illustrates the aim of the project, to offer guidance to young people aged 16-21 to support them in their life and educational journeys. Each boy or girl sets their own path with guidance from the educators. The main activities are one-to-one interviews and tailored support that addresses the individual needs of each of the young adults. They also participate in group activities depending on their interests or itinerary, for example entrepreneurship workshops, international youth exchanges, training courses, workplace visits or volunteering initiatives.
This programme engages with the families of children and teens participating in the above programmes. It promotes a healthy relationship between parents and children and also provides basic support to home management. Additionally, the programme aims to build a self-support network between families. Every week parents attend workshops on topics such as low-cost healthy eating or sewing techniques. They can also participate in emotional learning activities that include performing arts, dancing, painting, etc.
We also run community programmes to improve the town we live in, Santa Coloma de Gramenet. Children, teens and families play a central role in leading these programmes. Key activities include managing an urban garden where we grow vegetables and fruits, monthly performing arts activities in public spaces and leisure activities for children and teens in public parks.
In order to increase our impact, we aim to share our expertise and experience and make it available to anyone interested. We achieve this by organizing trainings and courses, participating in studies and research in the social field and assessing third parties as consultants in the implementation of social initiatives in different environments.
How you can participate?
There are multiple ways to collaborate with Germina, as an individual or an institution. For more information you can email us at germina@germina.org
If you are mostly interested in volunteering opportunities, please visit this page: Volunteering opportunities
International initiatives
We also develop several international initiatives and partnerships:
International youth exchanges; International volunteering, either receiving volunteers or sending them abroad; participation in international projects around knowledge sharing, best practice exchanges and the development of common frameworks for social and community action or social entrepreneurship.
If you are interested in any of these initiatives, please contact us at germina@germina.org