Campus Gandia researchers will advise the City Council of Bellreguard in drafting the Plan of Equality, Inclusion and Social Cohesion for Bellreguard (ICSBe, for its Spanish initials) – Horizon 2016 to 2020.
Professors Enric Sigalat and Bernat Roig will establish the methodology of analysis and create the appropriate avenues of participation for the different social groups, educational and healthcare facilities, and other stakeholders. An initial diagnosis will be carried out through citizen participation, advancing possible policies to be enacted in the future by the municipal powers, in coordination with other public administrations.
The Mayor of Bellreguard, Joan Marco, accompanied by the Councillor for Inclusive Policies, Dora Salavert, visjted the Campus Gandia to formalize the collaboration. After the agreement is signed, a calendar will be drawn up to establish the participation of professionals and social groups.
For Pepe Pastor, director of the Campus, this is a sign that the knowledge being generated in universities such as the Polytechnic University of Valencia, can have an impact on improving the quality of life of people, collaborating with other political and educational organizations or associations. “It is further proof that we have a Campus that is involved in the county and surrounding regions,” he explained.
The City Council of Bellreguard highlights that their city has a proven track record in relation to social policies, so much so that it received the “Building Equal Opportunities Municipalities” award in 2010 from the Generalitat Valenciana for its gender equality plan. More recently, the Department of Inclusive Policies received another recognition at the beginning of the current legislature, this time the Ministry of Health.
