"Nous Actius" on the Balearic Islands: a good offer — but is it enough for all of Mallorca?

"Nous Actius" has started – practical internet training for young people in Mallorca

The Balearic government has launched a new, free offering: "Nous Actius" aims to make children and adolescents between 9 and 17 digitally fitter. It may sound dry, but its implementation is deliberately down-to-earth: teams go to the schoolyard in Son Gotleu, set up on Plaça Espanya or meet youngsters at club events. Not sterile seminar rooms, but where the kids already are — under the screeching of seagulls and the hum of market stalls.

What is taught specifically

It is not just the usual "don’t share passwords". The workshops work with real examples: spotting false reports, checking privacy settings, dealing with cyberbullying, consciously reducing digital traces. In small groups, screenshots are analysed, checklists are created and simple rules of conduct are practised. There are additional training sessions for teachers so the content can be integrated into everyday school life. Sessions range from compact 60–90 minute lessons to longer afternoon workshops.

The key question we must ask

Well-intentioned programmes are one thing. The crucial question is: does "Nous Actius" reach the youngsters who have the least access to digital education? In Mallorca there are not only the scenes at Passeig del Born or in Sant Francesc — there are neighbourhoods like Son Gotleu, but also remote villages in the Tramuntana hinterland, families whose first language is different and young people who are outside formal school structures, as highlighted in Balearic Islands: Housing Becomes a Luxury — Who Will Stay on the Island?. Are these groups really being addressed systematically, or do the offers remain with the schools that are already well connected?

What stands out positively — and what is missing

Positive is the mobility of the programme and its practical orientation. That the offerings take place in Catalan and Spanish and sometimes offer English support makes sense. EU funding makes participation free for institutions — a clear advantage for municipalities with small budgets, as discussed in Tenant Aid in the Balearic Islands: Well-Intentioned but Too Narrowly Scoped.

But there are gaps: Turkish, Romanian or Arabic are not mentioned, even though families with these language backgrounds are present on Mallorca. Also unclear is what happens after the EU funding runs out: what occurs when the grant ends? And how will success be measured — are there evaluation criteria, fixed follow-up appointments or peer-to-peer programmes that involve young people in the long term?

Concrete opportunities and simple solutions

A few relatively small measures could significantly increase the impact:

1. Expand multilingualism: Short information sheets in German, Romanian and Arabic would already help. Many parents do not speak Catalan or Spanish but would read a clear, short text.

2. Use local partners: Libraries, youth centres in Alcúdia or Manacor, sports clubs and Caritas know the target groups better than central bodies. Mobile teams should have fixed contacts in the communities.

3. Peer educator models: Train young people from the neighbourhoods as ambassadors. They reach peers at eye level and ensure sustainability.

4. Evaluation and transparency: Simple key figures — number of schools reached, repeat participation, improvements in identifying fake news — help to make successes visible and convince funders to continue the programme.

Why this remains important for Mallorca

The debate about data, false reports and online bullying is not a topic for expert panels alone. Real problems arise on the playground, at football training or during a coffee break at the market, in a region affected by tourism-driven changes to employment, as seen in More Jobs from Tourism — but at What Cost? How the Labor Market on the Balearic Islands Is Changing. A teacher in Palma puts it bluntly: "Finally something practical. The kids know more about apps than we do, but not always how dangerous one wrong click can be." A 13-year-old pupil said with a grin: "I want to learn how not to accidentally post embarrassing things."

The idea is therefore right. For it to really have an effect in Mallorca, however, more than single workshops are needed: a link to local institutions, linguistic openness, clear follow-up and a plan for the time after EU funding. Then a good start can become a lasting offering — to the benefit of the children, their parents and the schools; household budgets are also under pressure, as outlined in Why Food Is Noticeably More Expensive in Mallorca — and What We Can Do About It.

A small tip from practice: a second look at sent messages has already prevented many embarrassing moments on Plaça Espanya. And yes — ask when words like "deepfake" come up. Young people hear the terms but do not always understand them.