Schools can now sign up for the “Commerce and Schools” activities programme for the 2018-2019 school year.

The “Commerce and Schools” educational programme's activities for the 2018-2019 school year are now ready. Barcelona's schools have until 15 October to sign up for the various planned activities: guided tours to neighbourhood shops and iconic establishments, the Bookmark Prize, responsible-consumption workshops and geoemblematics, a route for discovering Barcelona's emblematic shops with the aid of a mobile app.

“Commerce and Schools” is an initiative launched by the Department of Commerce, which is part of Barcelona City Council's Area of Economy and Employment, Digital City and International Relations. in collaboration with the Barcelona Municipal Institute of Education (IMEB). It aims to foster knowledge of the city's cultural, social and historical environment through local commerce, and to instil a critical and responsible consumer culture in people from a very young age. You can register on the barcelona.cat/comerciescoles website.

Guided tours

Guided tours are the most direct way for students to take a close look at neighbourhood shops and the retailers behind each business. Children can get first-hand knowledge about the products sold in these shops and how they are prepared, as well as finding out about the trades and history of each shop from the retailers themselves. Such tours are actually practical workshops, as they give students the chance to have a participative experience in the shop, such as working as bakers or learning about every tool of the trade used in a particular shop.

New shops have been included for the coming school year's activities, including emblematic ones like the La Llana pharmacy, the Sarret bakery, the Sala grain and cereals shop, and theLlobet herbalist's, which join the other three shops already taking part: Cottet Òptics, Drogueria Rovira and the Puig pork butcher's.

Bookmarks prize

The Bookmark Prize invites students to use their imagination and creativity to draw a picture of what the city’s commerce means to them. It is their perspective and vision of commerce through the language of art. A jury made up of representatives from the worlds of commerce, design and the plastic arts and education select the best drawings made by Barcelona students. The designs are then printed out as bookmarks and distributed to the city's shops so they can be handed out to customers during the Sant Jordi celebrations.

Consumption workshops

Responsible-consumption workshops are held in school classrooms. They are aimed at sixth-year primary school, and all secondary school pupils. The students are invited to discuss and reflect on sustainable consumerism, solidarity and local consumption.

Geoemblematics

Finally, the Geoemblematics initiative is a way for students to discover Barcelona’s emblematic shops. A mobile-phone app –geocaching- helps students to find information about the shops, concerning their history and architecture. The activities include looking for clues, checking out coordinates and finding final caches. In the coming school year, the programme will include 6 city areas, including 30 emblematic shops. The "The Emblematic Shops’ Route" website has information on the shops included in this activity, which is aimed at upper primary-school students and lower secondary-school (ESO) students, as well as the city’s residents in general.