La Soledad reactivates its neighborhood activity: from reviving neighborhood festivals to restoring Can Ribes.

PalmUnity is strength. This universal message, "which was true 70 years ago, is true now, and will be true in 70 years," is what the president of the new Soledad neighborhood association, Miquel Coll, wants to convey to the neighborhood's residents. "In the face of this bombardment that tells us 'you can do anything,' something that isn't true individually," Coll affirms, "we have to work together to move forward."

As a first step, they are organizing a first contact with the neighborhood, reviving the festival of the Virgen de la Soledad, which will be held the weekend of September 13 and 14. "The idea is to make ourselves known in order to gain strength," Miquel adds.

The new entity has set as its main objective to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood with concrete actions, step by step. Among the priorities is the cleaning and maintenance of public spaces, especially in critical areas such as the old Can Ribes Sud warehouse, vacant lots, and areas with accumulated manure. The association also aims to promote socio-educational workshops in schools and neighborhood centers to raise awareness about the importance of keeping streets and common spaces clean, encouraging neighborhood involvement and pet care.

Miquel, who has always been involved in association movements, moved to Soledad a year and a half ago. The idea of reactivating the association, which had disappeared, arose naturally when he realized that a neighborhood like his didn't have one. "I believe that neighborhood interaction is essential in any neighborhood, and even more so in a complex one like this one," he notes.

Soledad, Coll explains, has a triple atmosphere: that of a more traditional society, with long-standing neighborhoods; that of a commuter town, with people who live there but don't feel it as their own; and that of a stigmatized neighborhood. In this sense, citizen security is another priority. The association is calling for a specific plan to eliminate drug sales and use on the streets, with increased police presence during critical times and the inspection of entertainment venues that generate noise and conflict. It also proposes incorporating social workers on the streets and in educational centers to support vulnerable people and prevent addictions.

Miquel points out that syringes have now reappeared on the streets in Soledad, having disappeared after the

Generational Change

One of the challenges facing neighborhood associations is generational change. UIB Sociology professor David Abril recalled in a report by Maria Llull that "the problem isn't just with neighborhood associations. The generation that made the Transition and brought a face to the social movement, now made up of retirees, bears the weight of many organizations." "Their level of commitment and activism is higher than that of the younger generations. When they die, we'll have a problem, and everything will be much more volatile on a social level," he warned.

This problem is also seen by Miquel, who would like neighborhood associations to be considered as volunteering in an attempt to alleviate it. However, the latest addition to the association, just a few weeks ago, has brought new blood. Isabel Bonnin, whose life has always been tied to Soledad. Her godparents lived there, and many childhood memories were forged there. Over the years, life took her down other paths, but now she has returned to the neighborhood.

The housing situation in Mallorca

Due to the current housing situation in Mallorca, Isabel made a decision that was as logical as it was sentimental: to return to her family apartment. "Returning to Soledad was, in a way, returning to my roots," she explains. A social educator by profession, Isabel says that her view of her surroundings "is inevitably critical and constructive." "When I returned, I clearly saw that there were aspects of the neighborhood that could be improved, such as cleanliness and safety," she adds. It was then that she decided she didn't want to "stand idly by" or limit herself to "a situation of just complaining."

Isabel deeply believes in "associationalism as a driving force for change" and that's why she approached the neighborhood association. "There I found more than just a working group: I found motivated people, with enthusiasm and commitment, who want to transform Soledad and, at the same time, protect its history, its identity, and what it was and what we want it to continue to be," she concludes.

Isabel firmly believes in "associationalism as a driving force for change," and that's why she approached the neighborhood association. "There I found more than just a working group: I found motivated, enthusiastic, and committed people who want to transform Soledad and, at the same time, protect its history, its identity, and what it was and what we want it to continue to be," she concludes.