With the presence of Mayor Francisco Azcue and Vice Mayor Magdalena Reta de Urquiza, this year's edition was officially launched. The program seeks to foster civic responsibility and ensure that students' proposals become actual ordinances for the city.
This Wednesday, the official launch of the Youth Deliberative Council 2026took place within the municipal sphere, a space designed for young people from the city's various schools to learn closely about the functioning of the local legislative power, debate ideas, and assume an active role in the community.
The event was led by the Vice Mayor and President of the Deliberative Council, Lic. Magdalena Reta de Urquiza, together with the Mayor Francisco Azcué. Also participating in the presentation were council members Silvina Ovelar, Dr. Mauricio Rey, Celeste Fuscado y Emmanuel Godoy, accompanying the school delegations present.
Listening to the perspective of the youth
Upon opening the meeting, Vice Mayor Magdalena Reta de Urquiza highlighted the importance of opening the institution's doors to new generations: "The Youth Council is a proposal that promotes participation and the debate of ideas. Knowing the thoughts of young people is fundamental for us. Through this space, we give them a voice; then we can take their projects, present them in the Deliberative Council, and enact regulations regarding them"she detailed, highlighting the pedagogical value of experiencing closely how the local legislative power functions in a democracy.
For her part, the council member Silvina Ovelar directly questioned the students regarding the way they consume and debate information today. "We are used to participating on social media, we ask questions, we comment, but sometimes there is a lack of a space where they can really listen to us"she reflected. In that sense, she launched a direct call: "We want to invite you to take those opinions, debates, and consensuses that you achieve on social media and bring them to the Council with a project thought up by you. You think about the city in a different way, at your age, and sometimes we miss things that you experience day by day. We invite you to transform your 'like' into action".
Training, debate, and voting: the work schedule
Council member Mauricio Rey was in charge of explaining the technical aspects and the program's calendar for this year, which will formally begin next month (June) and will extend until August, divided into two clearly differentiated stages:
Azcue: "Being a citizen entails a responsibility"
The closing of the event was led by the Mayor Francisco Azcué, who celebrated the initiative and linked the program to the need to build civic commitment in civil society. "This program promotes values that we are very interested in stimulating, starting with civic responsibility. Being a citizen implies a civic duty that we all have to assume because it is in our best interest; the communities that manage to overcome their problems and develop are those that have committed citizens"he emphasized.
Azcue clarified that participation is not strictly limited to political parties, but is exercised from a club, an NGO, a school cooperative, or a neighborhood commission. Likewise, he left a critical message regarding traditional political culture: "For many years, politicians made us believe that we only had rights and never spoke to us about obligations, especially to young people, cultivating the erroneous slogan that the State has to solve all problems. That does not work that way, and it is our task to tell them the truth".
To conclude, the municipal head urged the young people to take on the challenge with seriousness and technical rigor: "This entails a responsibility. It is not just about logging into Facebook and making a comment. One must study, prepare, go to reliable sources, and identify what things we can improve in Concordia. We want to listen to you because a legal regulation that governs the lives of all residents of Concordia could emerge from this", he concluded, alluding to the need to reverse the social and infrastructure indicators that the city has been facing through a mature civic commitment.
This Wednesday, the official launch of the Youth Deliberative Council 2026took place within the municipal sphere, a space designed for young people from the city's various schools to learn closely about the functioning of the local legislative power, debate ideas, and assume an active role in the community.
The event was led by the Vice Mayor and President of the Deliberative Council, Lic. Magdalena Reta de Urquiza, together with the Mayor Francisco Azcué. Also participating in the presentation were council members Silvina Ovelar, Dr. Mauricio Rey, Celeste Fuscado y Emmanuel Godoy, accompanying the school delegations present.
Listening to the perspective of the youth
Upon opening the meeting, Vice Mayor Magdalena Reta de Urquiza highlighted the importance of opening the institution's doors to new generations: "The Youth Council is a proposal that promotes participation and the debate of ideas. Knowing the thoughts of young people is fundamental for us. Through this space, we give them a voice; then we can take their projects, present them in the Deliberative Council, and enact regulations regarding them"she detailed, highlighting the pedagogical value of experiencing closely how the local legislative power functions in a democracy.
For her part, the council member Silvina Ovelar directly questioned the students regarding the way they consume and debate information today. "We are used to participating on social media, we ask questions, we comment, but sometimes there is a lack of a space where they can really listen to us"she reflected. In that sense, she launched a direct call: "We want to invite you to take those opinions, debates, and consensuses that you achieve on social media and bring them to the Council with a project thought up by you. You think about the city in a different way, at your age, and sometimes we miss things that you experience day by day. We invite you to transform your 'like' into action".
Training, debate, and voting: the work schedule
Council member Mauricio Rey was in charge of explaining the technical aspects and the program's calendar for this year, which will formally begin next month (June) and will extend until August, divided into two clearly differentiated stages:
- Preparatory Stage (June): Training workshops will be held on the role of the council member, legislative technique (how an ordinance project is drafted), and public speaking. In addition, students will have the opportunity to witness real sessions of the city's council members.
- Legislative Stage (July - August): Students will choose a topic, conduct research, and draft their own projects virtually. Subsequently, preparatory sessions will be held for the election of youth authorities and the final approval session, where the projects will be defended, voted on, and receive their respective certificates.
Azcue: "Being a citizen entails a responsibility"
The closing of the event was led by the Mayor Francisco Azcué, who celebrated the initiative and linked the program to the need to build civic commitment in civil society. "This program promotes values that we are very interested in stimulating, starting with civic responsibility. Being a citizen implies a civic duty that we all have to assume because it is in our best interest; the communities that manage to overcome their problems and develop are those that have committed citizens"he emphasized.
Azcue clarified that participation is not strictly limited to political parties, but is exercised from a club, an NGO, a school cooperative, or a neighborhood commission. Likewise, he left a critical message regarding traditional political culture: "For many years, politicians made us believe that we only had rights and never spoke to us about obligations, especially to young people, cultivating the erroneous slogan that the State has to solve all problems. That does not work that way, and it is our task to tell them the truth".
To conclude, the municipal head urged the young people to take on the challenge with seriousness and technical rigor: "This entails a responsibility. It is not just about logging into Facebook and making a comment. One must study, prepare, go to reliable sources, and identify what things we can improve in Concordia. We want to listen to you because a legal regulation that governs the lives of all residents of Concordia could emerge from this", he concluded, alluding to the need to reverse the social and infrastructure indicators that the city has been facing through a mature civic commitment.