Rezola also lives the Carnival

The team of workers at the Julián Rezola Gerontological Centre believe that an important part of a person's satisfaction also comes from participating in what happens outside the walls of the place where they live. For this reason, we have entered the 2014 Carnival Poster Competition organised every year by Donostia City Council.

It is an open competition to which any citizen can apply, so from the psychosocial intervention team we consider that with the creative potential we have among the people who live in the centre, why shouldn't we apply with some work?

We discussed the idea with people and they thought it would be fun. A couple of months earlier we got down to work. We took advantage of the intervention group through manual work to get the process going.

First we had some sessions in which we talked about how they see the Carnival, how they lived it before and how they live it now, and we generated a series of ideas about what the Carnival represents graphically for them. We learned that years ago it was a totally different experience, in what it meant, in how it was celebrated, and even in the type of costumes, since at that time dressing up meant putting on the old clothes you had at home.

We decided together on a couple of ideas for the poster and carried them out. The process was fun, but without a doubt, the best experience was the delivery. Without thinking twice, we put our poster in an envelope, called a taxi, and three of the people who live in Rezola went to the Plaza de la Constitución to deliver it by hand, to the surprise of the workers in the Donostia Kultura office, who do not usually receive such special visits from retinues. Of course, they did not miss the opportunity to stop off at some bar in the old town to have a pint of black pudding.

Beyond the anecdotal, we think it is important that, regardless of age, place of residence and the diagnoses that the person accumulates, they continue to be part of the community, to be informed of what is happening around them, and continue to have the opportunity to participate.

Centro Rezola Team
Matia Fundazioa