Torrevieja Council has unveiled a comprehensive project designed to support young migrants from the moment they arrive in the city until they are successfully enrolled in school. The initiative, named “Acompañar para integrar” (Accompany to Integrate), aims to secure two million euro in funding from the European Urban Initiative to tackle a significant and ongoing structural challenge in the municipality.
The Councillor for Education and Innovation, Ricardo Recuero, alongside the head of the municipal European Funds Unit, Fernando Domínguez, and European Grants Department technician Marga Torregrosa, presented the details of the strategy. Councillor Recuero explained that the project addresses a major structural hurdle for Torrevieja, which is ensuring that families arriving on a continuous basis can effectively access public services.
According to a diagnostic assessment carried out over several months by various departments, Torrevieja welcomes hundreds of minors each year who require schooling. Many of these families arrive completely disoriented, and local administrative services routinely struggle to absorb the high volume of demand.
To resolve this, the proposed system is structured into three complementary phases forming a single, continuous reception pathway that places the child at the centre of the process.
The first phase focuses on administrative access by introducing a multilingual digital platform to manage town registration before face-to-face appointments. This system will be streamlined using artificial intelligence to eliminate queues, cut waiting times, and eradicate informal intermediaries.
The second phase covers the waiting period, during which a network of educational reception hubs will be established. These hubs will provide language support and socio-emotional guidance, turning the waiting time into a structured period of preparation.
The third and final phase involves educational enrollment. This will include the development of balanced school allocation tools, classroom welcome protocols, and specialised programmes to support integration.
The project is structured around a “quadruple helix” model involving the collaboration of Torrevieja Council, local businesses, the academic sector, and civil society, with each sector providing its own financial contribution to co-fund the initiative. This proposal also builds upon the recent recognition of Torrevieja as a City of Science and Innovation, aiming to apply innovative solutions to real social and administrative issues.
