Parents and children draw a moment, a story, or an anecdote that happened at home. They put down on a piece of paper what they think, feel, or don't dare to say out loud; perhaps out of fear, perhaps due to a lack of trust, or insecurity. It's a simple activity, but it has helped dozens of families, in one way or another, to strengthen their bond, weakened by the hardships of economic difficulties or by a migration process that diminishes parenting skills. "Now my children tell me how they feel, and that has helped me a lot," explains Najam Ul Huda. She is one of the mothers who have come to the Poblenou socio-educational center to improve communication with their children within a program that seeks to strengthen mother-child relationships as a tool for preventing the institutionalization of minors—that is, to avoid the administration having to intervene and separate children from their parents by assuming their custody. Ul Huda says that the various activities they have carried out in this program, launched in 2022 jointly by the Pere Tarrés Foundation and the state coordinator of Salesian Social Platforms, with the collaboration of educational professionals, have helped improve the atmosphere within her family, with her children: she says they spend quality time together. Brenda Hernández nods beside her and recalls that before, in her parents' time, everything was very different. "Now, this interest in dealing with emotions makes the bond with the family stronger," she affirms. Cases like those of Ul Huda and Hernández are indicators that a new pedagogical model that involves children and families can contribute to strengthening family relationships and participation in community activities, argues the Pere Tarrés Foundation. The organization emphasizes that a shift in focus towards building bonds between parents and children can reduce the risk of institutionalizing children, a situation to be avoided as much as possible, underlines the Foundation's deputy director, Rafael Ruiz de Gauna. "The goal is for children not to be in institutions, but to be able to live independently with the best possible abilities," he explains. With the aim of minimizing these cases—prioritizing support for families to ensure children can stay and grow up in their family environment—the Som Veu project was launched in 2022, funded by the European Union's Next Generation fund and the Ministry of Social Rights. The initiative aims to develop a model for preventing institutionalization with proposals for psychological and socio-educational support for the entire family. The model was tested with nearly 600 children and young people and a hundred educational professionals from 39 socio-educational centers in nine regions across Spain.

For most, it's their first eye exam, and they arrive a little nervous. But the circuit set up to check visual acuity, eye convergence, and diopters is like a game, and little by little, the children sit down and listen to the instructions of the volunteer professionals. "Maybe they'll give me glasses because I can't see the blackboard from far away," explains seven-year-old Yovor. Like him, around fifty children and adolescents will pass through the rooms set up as small opticians at the Pere Tarrés Foundation's Raval Socio-Educational Center to help vulnerable families pay for their exams and also for glasses should they ultimately need them.

The Pere Tarrés Foundation's "Vamos en familia" program offers an accessible, fun, and educational alternative for families looking to spend a few days on vacation, enjoy a long weekend, or spend a weekend without having to worry about logistics, activities, or day-to-day planning. With stays starting July 26th, this program takes place in summer camps and youth hostels throughout Catalonia, taking advantage of the time when these facilities stop hosting school camps.

When summer arrives and schools close their doors, thousands of Catalan families prepare for an almost ritual event: summer camps. With more than sixty years of experience in the world of educational leisure, the Pere Tarrés Foundation has become a leading institution in Catalonia, enthusiastically and professionally preparing summer camps for children and young people to spend free time full of activities and learning. In 2024, nearly 2,000 children and young people participated, divided into fifty camp shifts organized throughout Catalonia.