In recent years, our neighborhood has undergone a strong transformation process, mainly due to the gentrification process that has generated the real estate speculation and the general exploitation of the neighborhood in the face of tourism. As a result, the neighborhood is becoming a complete “theme park”, losing the same authenticity that tourists seek and, in any case, impeding daily life and coexistence in the neighborhood.

This transformation of the neighborhood for tourism and consumption also influences the lack of spaces directed and adapted to the needs of the children, youth and older people of the Old Part, essential for a living neighborhood. As for the younger population segment, in the Old Part there are no children's areas, gaztelekus or cultural houses, as in other neighbourhoods. Children and young people do not have adequate space for them or shelters for the rainiest and coldest days. Taking into account the number of inhabitants, the Old Party is also the neighborhood with the lowest number of playgrounds in square meters per inhabitant.

The lack of spaces and facilities for the local population has been evident, at the initiative of many young people in the neighborhood, the Kaialde building of Kanpandegi Street has been rehabilitated, which has remained empty for 11 years since September 2018. Gaztetxe Kijera, so called, has been presented as a space dedicated to leisure and cultural initiatives based on mutual education and open to the needs of the different groups of the neighborhood. Sensitized to coexistence, they have shown an open attitude, attracting many different people. They have carried out respectful activities and schedules, closing the Gaztetxe no later than 23:00 hours. Coexistence and self-management are the pillars on which a wide network has been built in just four months. Among other things, the library, the kitchen, the pediment, the DIY workshop, the meeting rooms, the recreational area, the children's area and a multipurpose space have been enabled. In this small space of time they have organized numerous activities: bertso eskola, zineforum, conferences, meetings, artistic creation activities, sewing workshop, soap workshop, dance, theatre and circus, etc.

The Gaztetxe has also been sensitive to the needs and needs of the children of the neighborhood, and in their eagerness to fill them, space has been offered to the youngest. Thus, three and a half months ago we started working on the adequacy of a Haurgune for some fathers and mothers.

We would like to point out that safety has been the priority in the adaptation of children ' s space. The young people have adopted the general measures of construction safety, receiving visits from several architects. Electricians, plumbers, masons, carpenters and other professionals have also collaborated altruistically in the adaptation of space. In addition, other concrete measures have been taken in Haurgune, adapting these spaces also to the smaller ones: socket shelters have been installed, windows and balconies have been secured, access to other spaces has been closed, etc.

The previous use of this building has been that of Orixe Ikastola, as the building is adapted to the needs of children (among other things, accesses, spaces and toilets are adapted to children). Once security measures have been taken, the Haurgune has been ordered, decorated and equipped with various materials.

The children's space has differentiated two areas:

Haurtxoko (60 square meters): space adapted for crafts, symbolic games, artistic creation, table games, constructions, etc., with kitchen corner, theater, rest, library, corner for thin psychomotor, craft corner, table games corner.

Moving room (128 square meters): space adapted for more physical activities and psychomotor activity. This is the place where boys and girls, using their bodies, develop and express basic movements: running, moving things, jumping, dancing... basic needs for their development. Being a large space, it functions as a multipurpose space in the Gaztetxe.

Bathroom: Toilet adapted for children and clothing for the youngest. After a month and a half of work, the Haurgune opened its doors on 27 November. From then on, working days we open every afternoon, from 16:45 to 19:00 hours, for children aged 0-8 years and their parents and/or guardians. In the rainy days, about 50 children can come along with their parents and guardians. More than 40 parents are occupying the opening, closing and cleaning shifts of the children's area. Every user knows that he is responsible for what may happen in it.

A number of activities have taken place since the opening of the Haurgune. All of them, such as non-formal education, promoted from collaborative education, promoting reuse, respecting the environment, working on gender equality, among other things, doing cooperative work, favoring psychomotor skills, developing artistic and creative processes, and promoting self-management and autonomy. All of them we consider essential and valuable for the integral development of our sons and daughters.

The users of Haurgune have also gone to Urgule, taking advantage of the natural material of the place to create works of art, we have organized painting workshops with recycled materials, we have made Christmas decorations with reused devices, we have prepared “Gau Beltzean” squash, we have dressed in Maridomingi color… and we have also told stories. And for the next few weeks we have planned activities to work the clown, the magician, the music, the dance and the movement. In all of them we have used Euskera as a language of transmission.

The activities have expanded openly, accommodating everyone they want. All of them have been acts carried out in a non-rotating and voluntary manner. And what we want to stress is that, in any case, those responsible for what happens there are their parents and those responsible.

Haurgune is a refuge for play, creativity and psychomotor skills, in addition to a meeting place of different origins, ideologies and ages, a meeting place, a seedbed to promote networking, collaboration and self-management, in which a mutual education between children, young people and adults is promoted. In coexistence with other gaztetxe users, intergenerational exchange is a reality here. In this way, our next step was to perform the activities jointly with the children to the members and users of the nursing home located under the building, as well as to communicate that the large multipurpose room was open for use for their workshops or initiatives.

Above all these values, perhaps because they were not properly considered, the City Council has adopted the decision to evict the Gaztetxe. It appears that it has instituted an emergency procedure for eviction of activities with children. Without knowing the Children's Space or contacting its agents, this unilateral decision by the City Hall does not seem fair to us.

We would, however, like to see greater speed and speed in the face of other real risks suffered by children in the neighbourhood: in the face of the risks posed by the transport of distribution that circulate at high speed through the streets of the Old Town during the opening hours of school, to avoid the furniture terraces and the illegal awnings that prevent the ambulances from reaching many streets in emergency situations, the glass remains that remain after the holidays, etc.

Despite the fact that there appears to be no such risk in the children’s area and that the emergency eviction procedure makes no sense, as we do not want a violent eviction of the Gaztetxe, we have decided to temporarily suspend Haurgune’s activities. However, as long as the ban continues, we feel obliged to carry out activities with children in front of the City Hall. In fact, the decision to evict the Gaztetxe Kijera once again leaves us in the street, without Gaztetxes and without Haurgune.

On the other hand, in the process of occupation, the members of the Gaztetxe expressed their desire to speak with the City Hall, their willingness to dialogue and the convening of a session, without having received a reply so far. After the City Hall’s unilateral resolution, the young people state that they will act in a non-violent resistance in defense of gaztetxe, and valuing their contributions, they have a great deal of support from the neighbors. The fact that these layoffs are made through violence would be absurd and serious for many neighbours. In view of the situation created, therefore, we ask the City Hall:

1. Suspension of the building recovery procedure which would have led to the closure of the gaztetxe and closure of the file. Many of the agents and users of the neighborhood have stated that the Gaztetxe is an essential space of co-education for the neighborhood, and it is also requested that it be taken into account.

2. Allow the members of the Gaztetxe to keep the building functioning with an educational and cultural orientation towards leisure.

3. A meeting to discuss the Haurgune issues and to transfer the correct information, which we have already requested through official channels. We have already pointed out that in the neighborhood there is a need for such a space. But beyond the material need to have a physical space, the important thing is that we've been moving forward from dreaming that place to be true, that we've created, that we've lived, that we've felt, that we're able to move forward. We will not give up the forms and spaces of co-education, autonomy and co-education that we believe are essential.

Because we want to live the neighborhood, the Gaztetxe ahead!

* Agents and users of the Gaztetxe Kijera Children's Center