One in two families with kids in Barcelona have reduced leisure activity for financial reasons

Half of the families with children in the Barcelona area have reduced their leisure activities for financial reasons, according to a press release on Monday by the charity organization Càritas. 

The ongoing cost of living crisis is heaping financial strain on families across the territory, with low-income households especially suffering. Utility prices have been skyrocketing ever since last summer, and energy prices in particular have soared in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. 

Inflation surpassed double digits this summer, with the provisional data for August placing the rate of change in prices at 10.4%. 

The NGO reports that 20% of households with children and adolescents they give assistance to live without any income. For this reason, officials at Càritas consider leisure and sports activities "more necessary than ever so that children can enjoy quality time to develop their skills." 

The organization also reports that 16% of the families they help want the government to offer more free extracurricular activities.

Cáritas believes that, for the most vulnerable students, participating in extracurricular activities is equivalent to gaining two and a half months of academic progress in an ordinary school year.

"In the case of children who live in situations of social vulnerability, it is also an element of integration, given that it facilitates spaces for socializing," the press release published by the entity reads.

Cáritas Barcelona has called for more significant investment in policies focused on children. According to the NGO, Spain only spends 1.3% of GDP on the youth of the country, while the European average is 2.4%. 

They have also urged the administrations to offer more free extracurricular activities.