More than 7.500 people have taken part in Mobile Week Catalonia 2022 throughout the territorry

• Successful participation in the fourth edition of the Mobile World Capital Barcelona initiative promoted jointly with the Generalitat de Catalunya, which has been held in 16 territories around the country
• The activities related to learning new digital skills for all types of audiences, along with those on cybersecurity, misinformation, Artificial Intelligence and new virtual environments have been the most registered by participants in the different participating populations.

31 may, 2022

Barcelona, 31 May 2022.- Mobile Week Catalunya 2022, an initiative of Mobile World Capital Barcelona promoted jointly with the Department of the Vice-Presidency and Digital Policies and Territory of the Generalitat de Catalunya, has closed its fourth edition with a good reception from the public. More than 7.500 people have been the protagonists of the different activities organized by the 16 municipalities and territories throughout Catalonia where actions have been taken to combat the digital divide. The vast majority of the territories repeat their participation in the initiative, pointing out that five of them are participating since the first edition. Mobile Week Catalonia 2022 was held from April 25 to May 28.

In total, this year’s Mobile Week Catalunya has had a program of more than 300 activities, 500 speakers, 200 entities involved and 450 hours of learning addressed to all audiences, but highlighting actions for people in a situation of greater vulnerability that have to face the impacts of digitization. The aim of this initiative is to involve citizens in the debate and reflection on the impact of digital transformation for our society, and to involve them in specific actions that contribute to reducing digital gaps, becoming thus in a space where citizens and technology connect.

The Vice President and Minister for Digital and Territorial Policies, Jordi Puigneró, considers that “the figures for activities, speakers, entities involved and, above all, citizen participation in this year’s Mobile Week Catalonia, the highest since we launched the initiative four years ago, they reaffirm it as a backbone tool to fight against digital and territorial gaps and depopulation, to empower citizens, and ultimately to move towards a digital Catalonia with opportunities for everyone”.

For her part, Cristina Colom, head of Mobile Week at Mobile World Capital Barcelona, ​​praised this year’s edition, saying that “the high participation of citizens in the scheduled activities consolidates us as a useful initiative, close and pragmatic and encourages us to continue working to bring the necessary tools and reflections so that the whole population can enjoy the services and benefits of technology, as well as be more aware of the risks or dangers of it in their daily lives”.

Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and new virtual environments, highlighted activities

The programs have been designed by the town councils and regional councils that have led the organization of Mobile Week Catalonia in the 16 territories. These have been drawn up on the basis of the three key areas of this year’s edition: the protection of citizens’ digital rights, digital skills and the key role of education in training young people -promoting the rise of female profil·les in the disciplines STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Graphic Arts and Mathematics)-; and exploring new digital tools and digital media in the field of culture and entertainment.

Sant Feliu de Llobregat and Ribera d’Ebre have hosted some of the activities that have revolved around the fight against the digital divide, especially among the senior population, both in terms of access to devices adapted to their needs. Some exemples of this topic have been the presentation of the Bleta tablet by its CEO, Isabel Garcia Baños from Sant Feliu de Llobregat, as well as practical training in digital skills for obtaining certificates and invoices or carrying out other procedures online. On the other hand, Mataró has opted to attack the gaps from another point of view: a day to recycle laptops, giving them a new life converted into educational devices. The new devices have been sent to schools in need of this type of material, through the Labdoo solidarity initiative.

A localitats com Mollerussa, Girona, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Terrassa i Centelles han fet que els més petits i adolescents fossin els protagonistes de accions la Mobile Week Catalunya amb més impacte, destacant l’aposta per jocs infantils per endinsar-se en el món de la realitat virtual de Girona; en la línia de Terrassa, que mitjançant aquesta tecnologia han volgut conscienciar els adolescents de com prevenir l’assetjament a les escoles. A Mollerussa, a través d’històries amb monstres i semàfors han acostat als més petits els principis bàsics dels circuits elèctrics; a Vilanova i la Geltrú, han optat per diferents experiències vinculades al laboratori de realitat immersiva; i a Centelles, el Family Day ha posat la revolució digital de relleu dirigint-se a un públic familiar perquè poguessin aprofundir en les potencialitats de la tecnologia.

In places such as Mollerussa, Girona, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Terrassa and Centelles, children and teenagers have been the protagonists of actions with Mobile Week Catalonia with the greatest impact. It highlights the commitment to children’s games to enter the world of the virtual reality in Girona. The same with Terrassa’s main activity, which through virtual reality technology have wanted to raise awareness among adolescents about how to prevent bullying in schools. In Mollerussa, through stories with monsters and traffic lights, they have introduced the little ones to the basic principles of electrical circuits. Meanwhile, in Vilanova i la Geltrú, they have opted for different experiences linked to the immersive reality laboratory, and in Centelles, Family Day has brought the digital revolution to the forefront by targeting a family audience so that they can delve deeper into the potential of technology.

The potential of social networks, as well as their risks, has also been an issue very present in the different participating municipalities. On the one hand, Igualada, in one of the activities that has attracted the most public, has emphasized the relationship between Artificial Intelligence and social networks. On the other hand, Manresa has used an interactive theater to prevent and raise awareness of the use of networks and screens in a playful way.

In Lleida, one of the most remarkable activities has focused on reflecting on the role of women in the technology sector, reflecting on how their presence can be enhanced and young women can be encouraged to pursue STEM careers. Badalona, ​​due to its geographical location, proposed one of the most pressing challenges for the port sector, anticipating future trends in the digital management and control system of marinas.

The territories have not forgotten the most vulnerable people and, therefore, as is the case of La Seu d’Urgell, have focused much of their programs to schools and groups at risk of social exclusion to combat the digital gaps. For its part, Olesa de Montserrat that took part for the first time, had one of the best-known entrepreneurs in the town, Pau Garcia-Milà, who gave a keynote speech on innovation and the world of entrepreneurship.

The Mobile Week held between Sant Pere de Ribes and Sitges has catched the attention of many citizens with topics as varied as the use of tools for digitization in the professional environment or in the impact of quantum technology on society, respectively.

Finally, Figueres has closed the fourth edition of Mobile Week Catalunya facing misinformation and addiction to social networks with talks and practical workshops where participants have been able to reflect and learn how to deal with them.

Other outstanding activities that have been held in various participating towns in this year’s edition have been the workshop on cybersecurity for SMEs and self-employed professionals, as well as the digital skills for the initiation and development in the use of new technologies and that of misinformation and digital verification. Also the activity “A connected world”, promoted by CaixaBank, which has brought STEM professions closer to the little ones, has been a relevant activity by encouraging a responsible use of technology and teaching children how technology can be a tool to create a better and more sustainable world. 372 children between the ages of 8 and 12 took part in this latest activity, proposing a total of almost 6.500 ideas.

Mobile Week Catalunya is a Mobile World Capital Barcelona initiative promoted jointly by the Department of the Vice-Presidency and Digital and Territorial Policies, and has the support of CaixaBank and Damm.