Young people in Cangas del Narcea imagine the municipality’s future at the first Energy School Bootcamp
The EDP Foundation held the first Energy School Bootcamp in Spain in Cangas del Narcea. The initiative, which has come to Spain after its implementation in Portuga, brought together around 50 4th-year secondary school (ESO) students from IES Cangas del Narcea. The event, held at the Escuela Hogar, encouraged young people to reflect on the future of their region and to design realistic proposals that they themselves could promote to contribute to the sustainable development of their community.
Under the slogan “Cangas del Narcea, a film opportunity!”, the students wrote their own script for the future of their municipality. Vanda Martins, director of the EDP Fundation, began the day with a welcome speech encouraging young people to draw on their personal experiences and knowledge of the municipality to imagine a “movie‑worthy” future for Cangas.
Next, José Tuñón, director of the Asturias Bear Foundation, highlighted the environmental richness of south‑west Asturias and the importance of conserving it as a driving force for the future. Next, José María Martínez Parrondo, head of Bodegas Parrondo, shared his experience as an example of an entrepreneurial project born in Cangas and linked to the region. Lastly, Alejandro Martínez Vega and Tania Pereira Armesto, co-director and artist participating in the “Prestoso Fest,” highlighted the value of craftsmanship and reinforced the idea that “going abroad is fine, training abroad may be necessary, but coming back or staying is not a bad option.”
Following this introduction, the students worked in teams through several phases: identifying opportunities in their local area, defining a transformative idea, and turning it into a “script” for the future. During the day, they analyzed aspects such as the council's potential as a nature destination, the value of the landscape and resources such as Muniellos, the appeal of Cangas as a “rural paradise” reachable from Oviedo and León, the role of livestock farming in the local economy, and the need to create opportunities for young people to develop their life plans without leaving the municipality. In addition, they received guidance from EDP volunteers who joined the teams and supported the development of the activities.
The session concluded with the presentation of the “trailers of the future,” short oral presentations in which each group explained how they imagined Cangas in a few years' time and what specific steps should be taken to turn that vision into reality. The proposals were evaluated by a jury composed of Vanda Martins, director of the EDP Foundation; Afonso Pegado Mendonça dos Reis, CEO of Mentes Emprendedoras; and José María Martínez Parrondo, CEO of Bodegas Parrondo. The winning team—the Orange Team—received an electric bicycle and a helmet for each team member for a project “to ensure that traditional crafts are not forgotten, by drawing on the memories of our elders and the energy of the municipality’s young people”.
The event was also attended by the mayor of Cangas de Narcea, José Luis Fontaniella, who encouraged young people to pursue their dreams and told them they would be “rewarded with support to take part in the Iberian gathering that EDP Foundation is organising in Lisbon in May, bringing together all the teams whose projects have been selected in this year’s Energy School bootcamps in Spain and Portugal”.
For Vanda Martins, director of the EDP Foundation, "this Bootcamp shows the enormous capacity young people have to come up with ideas and propose solutions that make an impact. Hearing how they imagine their municipality, what opportunities they see and what actions they propose to make them a reality is a clear sign that the energy transition and sustainable development will only be possible if we count on them."
The EDP Foundation thus reinforces its commitment to education as a driver of social transformation and to a model of sustainable development. Through its Energy School initiative, it promotes educational experiences that help new generations understand environmental and energy challenges, and provides them with the tools to become leaders in a just energy transition.
