Graciela Álvarez Montero – CEPA Pedro Martínez Gavito (San Lorenzo de El Escorial)

In May 2023, the Spanish Ministry of Education published the third call for grants aimed at promoting the creation of groupings of centers with the goal of fostering common projects that support inclusive education, educational innovation, and creativity. In November of the same year, the jury's resolution was published, which, by unanimous decision, proposed the grant awards, with the highest-rated project being a grouping of Adult Education Centers, under the common title "Discover Your Town and Share It #patrimonioCEPA" which received the maximum score.

This wonderful experience involves the CEA Yecla, the coordinating center for the common project, located in the Autonomous Community of Murcia; the CEPA San Bartolomé de Tirajana from Gran Canaria; the CEPA Avilés from Asturias; and the CEPA Pedro Martínez Gavito from San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Madrid). Diversity is the strong point of this group, formed by four centers located in very different regions of Spain, with varying social, economic, and academic characteristics, but with similar concerns and challenges. The student body is highly diverse, and the project is aimed at reducing the risk of social exclusion, technological segregation, and educational dropout under the principle of learning to learn. Additionally, the CEPA in Gran Canaria is associated with a prison, which involves a student population with significant inclusion challenges.

The central theme chosen for this project addresses a very motivating topic for everyone, including foreign students: the heritage of our towns and regions. To make it more enigmatic and stimulating, we decided to focus our initial studies on the more hidden aspects of our cultural, social, historical, and natural heritage—values that are less known outside our places of origin.

The four centers share a dynamic educational track record, and for some time, we have been committed to educational improvement through experimentation with new methods. Through this project, we enhance student learning through research, and then share the results by creating products with a strong artistic and technological component, where creativity plays a central role—products that will be shared through a common website. The chosen methodology encourages teamwork, problem-solving, conclusion-drawing, and communication skills, all while using ICT tools as facilitators of the process. In this way, the students are the protagonists of their own learning.

However, this project is also highly motivating for the teachers, as, in addition to implementing new methods, the sector is also engaged in educational research alongside experienced teams from three prestigious universities near the centers of the grouping: the University of Murcia, the University of Oviedo, and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Together, we are conducting a comparative study on changes in the interests, self-esteem, and motivation of the students involved in this educational project. We are conducting experimental studies with before-and-after measures to obtain conclusions. Being able to export the results and methodology to other centers is also a key driver of this initiative.

But what truly excites us throughout these two academic years—besides the innovative work carried out in the classrooms and educational research—are the visits that teachers and students are making to the various centers to discover the hidden heritage being researched and brought to light in each one. Because the most interesting thing about discovering the heritage of your surroundings is being able to share it with others. Telling it after discovering it is one of the most important stages of this common project.

Thus, in December 2023, the first meeting was held in Gran Canaria to coordinate and launch the project with the grant already awarded. During this first visit, the management teams and participating teachers took the opportunity to explore the hidden heritage surrounding the CEPA San Bartolomé de Tirajana. There, we received our first training session from the University of Gran Canaria on the meaning of the word "heritage," how to work with students on the subject, and the importance of valuing our own heritage in order to also learn to respect others' heritage. Our Canary Island hosts introduced us to the culture of the inland villages, impressive geological formations, local crafts, and, of course, the Maspalomas dunes and the historic charm of the capital.

In April 2024, the second mobility took place in Yecla, where we discovered much of its lesser-known heritage, as beyond its famous furniture, it hides stunning natural wonders and valuable popular customs. On this occasion, students from each visiting center also attended. Our Yecla colleagues provided us with excellent accommodations to share during our stay. Everything was so welcoming, educational, and fascinating that we were delighted as we were guided through the impressive itinerary they had prepared for us. Highlights included Monte Arabí, a magical place extensively studied by its students, which amazed us with its geological beauty, surrounded by numerous legends and an astonishing archaeological value. As in the visit to Gran Canaria, we also enjoyed the delicious local cuisine of the Murcia region.

Recently, in October 2024, the third meeting took place in San Lorenzo de El Escorial. On this occasion, our CEPA Pedro Martínez Gavito hosted the event, and we had a major challenge ahead to live up to the previous experiences. Moreover, as a local CEPA, it seemed important to also discover part of the heritage of our towns. The stay could only last four days, and since it was impossible to include all of our hidden heritage in this visit, we took on the challenge of programming the most interesting highlights. To this end, we received active collaboration and support from the Education Departments of the visited towns: El Escorial, Robledo de Chavela, Fresnedillas de la Oliva, and especially, given that it is the main site of the CEPA, the invaluable support and advice from the Education Department of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Three other towns in our area—Santa María de la Alameda, Zarzalejo, and Valdemaqueda—are still pending for a future occasion.

It is impossible to describe the emotion we felt when we were able to host our visitors at the Royal University College María Cristina, a 16th-century building located right across from the entrance to the El Escorial Monastery. After welcoming the new ambassadors at the CEPA headquarters, we were greeted by the Mayor of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in the Town Hall’s Plenary Hall.

Once ready to discover the hidden heritage of the region, we highlighted, first and foremost, the natural component—one of the most surprising aspects for our partners—especially the visit to the Arboretum Luis Ceballos, located in the heart of Monte Abantos, with autumn infusing magic into its forests, which proved to be a revelatory experience. A very emotional moment was the joint planting in the Gavito Forest, where each CEPA contributed a new specimen, followed by the release of a rehabilitated eagle owl that from then on became part of the wildlife of the Abantos. We cannot forget the visit to Felipe II’s chair, with its majestic views of the Monastery and the multi-colored forest of La Herrería.

Much of our heritage is intangible, and we wanted to show the richness and diversity of our customs. Thus, our partners discovered the elaborate traditional clothing that accompanies the Feast of the Virgin of La Herrería in El Escorial, the magic of the guardian dragons at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Robledo de Chavela, and the Vaquilla Festival in Fresnedillas de la Oliva, where our students showcased a fantastic display of historical and traditional objects. A quick visit to the illustrations of the "Casas Vivas" in Fresnedillas marked the conclusion of this unforgettable experience.

Of course, historical heritage could not be left out, as the figure of Felipe II and the Monastery are deeply embedded in our essence. A guided tour of the inside of the monument satisfied our visitors’ curiosity about its historical, artistic, and monumental aspects. Additionally, thanks to the Deverde association and their theatrical guides, the ghosts of Felipe II's daughters came to life and guided us through the Monastery's exteriors, delighting us with numerous anecdotes.

In the scientific realm, we had the opportunity to show our guests the impressive deep-space communication antennas at NASA and INTA in Robledo de Chavela. In this beautiful rural landscape, the antenna that received Neil Armstrong's historic words during the first moon landing is also preserved: “This is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

To taste part of our gastronomic heritage, we moved to one of the external pavilions of the Casita del Príncipe, another emblematic 18th-century building surrounded by gardens in the El Escorial area. In this wonderful setting, the famous San Lorenzo bakery Paco Pastel organized an enjoyable workshop on "bizcotelas," a typical local sweet highly appreciated both inside and outside the town.

Finally, we were able to bid farewell to our partners once again in the Town Hall’s Plenary Hall, this time packed with students and teachers from CEPA Pedro Martínez Gavito, along with local authorities from neighboring towns and educational authorities from the Community of Madrid and the Spanish Ministry of Education, who shared kind words with the participating centers in this beautiful project. During the event, as part of our literary heritage, we had the honor of being addressed by the renowned crime novelist Teresa Cardona, who shared some touching words and kindly signed many dedications for the participating educational centers.

This meeting has been a marathon experience in which nothing was missing except time to continue discovering unknown aspects of our towns. We love the idea of continuing to research and share our heritage because San Lorenzo de El Escorial and its region are home to treasures of incalculable value that we must pass on to the younger generations so they are not lost, as they represent our roots, our culture, and our towns.

Before our project ends, there are two more meetings to be held: one in Avilés (Asturias) and the last one in Dos Hermanas (Sevilla). We are eager to enjoy everything that is being prepared in Avilés and its region and to discover the surprises awaiting us there. In Dos Hermanas, we will have the collaboration of a fifth CEPA, which will help us present the final conclusions of this wonderful experience. We hope to confirm that this project has united us to the point of wanting to continue working together in this direction to keep improving our educational practices as teachers, continue enjoying learning as students, and, ultimately, keep improving as individuals through the heritage we share.

You can watch the video of the experience in San Lorenzo de El Escorial