Figueres was the focus on Friday, 12 June 2026, when more than 700 students from Alt Empordà gathered in Plaça Catalunya to support the rights of older people. The event included a walk and the reading of a manifesto calling for dignified care and action against ageism.
The gathering marked the end of the Walk for the Rights of Older People, a programme organised by the Alt Empordà Regional Board for the Rights of Older People. The board is led by the Alt Empordà Regional Council, Figueres City Council and the Fundació Salut Empordà.
According to the organisers, the programme ran from 12 May to 12 June and included talks, workshops and awareness activities in several municipalities across the region. Those walks took place in Roses, Castelló d’Empúries, l’Escala, Llançà, la Jonquera and Peralada, with schools, leisure groups, day centres and senior citizens’ clubs taking part.
The manifesto was created with input from the Children and Adolescents Council of Castelló d’Empúries, older residents from the Toribi Duran day centre and residence, and representatives from the Alt Empordà Council of Older People. Its 2026 theme was Dignified Care, and it set out the idea that care should be carried out respectfully, correctly and with humanity.
The text says dignified care should be given with gentleness, respect, love and humour, and that no one should feel like a burden. It also calls for respect for universal human rights, the right to express oneself, be heard, make free decisions and live a full life, while rejecting age-based discrimination.
The manifesto also asks for better access to information, simpler administrative procedures, universal access to technology and safer, more accessible public spaces. It ends with a call for municipalities that are more comfortable and barrier-free, and for a community that respects people of all ages. More local news
The event in Figueres brought the campaign to a close in the county seat, with young people and older residents sharing the same message: care is a shared responsibility across the whole community.
