Zona Santiago – free to play
Video documentary

The pupils of the Santiago Apostol school in the seaside neighbourhood of El Cabanyal in Valencia had no proper school playground. They lacked a space where they could play and interact in their break times, making do instead with the school roof or a local public park With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City Council of Valencia made a nearby plot of land temporarily available to the school for this purpose, in order to facilitate the implementation of the necessary distancing and safety measures. This provided the starting point for thinking about, designing and building the playground they wanted.

The resulting space, named “Zona Santiago – free to play” by the students themselves, involved the participation of pupils from the secondary school as part of a Learning Service project, along with sufferers of mental health disorders employed in the development of the project. The project thus brought together a range of differently-abled people to work together towards a common goal. In this way, awareness is raised via the sharing of day-to-day activities, and the resulting spaces are safe and inclusive.

“Zona Santiago – free to play” is a documentary about the transformation of this space, in order not only to improve the physical and environmental aspects of the children’s play area, but also to combat any stigma associated with sufferers of mental health disorders by promoting their employment and social inclusion.