AINA Summer Camps in Canillo Celebrate 50 Years of Leisure Education

The AINA summer camps and leisure education project in Canillo marked its 50th anniversary on Saturday with a festive day that drew current and former monitors, children, young people, and authorities to the parish of Sant Serni.

The celebrations began mid-morning as participants gathered in the square outside Sant Serni church to rehearse songs ahead of a noon mass. The church filled early, with guitars and harmonicas providing music inside while officials arrived outside. The procession entered with the arrival of the Bishop of Urgell and co-prince, Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat, who led the concelebrated service alongside several priests.

Serrano Pentinat praised AINA's half-century of leisure education, which he said went beyond resources to reveal human purpose and foster volunteering, community-building, and values transmission from a small Canillo church. He urged monitors to continue the work, noting life involves effort and sacrifice but becomes beautiful through service to others.

Montserrat Samsó, one of the first monitors, spoke with her daughter Laia and grandson Marcel, all involved across generations. Samsó recalled joining after camp experiences from her Santa Maria de Gràcia scout group and meeting mossèn Ramon Rossell, AINA's founder. Marcel described AINA as "life," crediting it for his identity and connections with people from everywhere.

Santi Amores, president of the Fundació d’Esplais Santa Maria de Núria, called leisure education transformative when done well, defining AINA as a united community built through pedagogy, not magic. Culture Minister Mònica Bonell, a Canillo native and former participant, remembered learning chores like dishwashing and hailed AINA as a school of coexistence, respect, and love for the country—an essential tool for the future and a collective legacy centered on people.

Mossèn Ramon Rossell launched AINA in July 1976 at the Casal de Sant Serni following a child's tragic death alone at home in Pas de la Casa while parents worked, prompting him to address childcare needs. Starting in the rectory, it outgrew the space quickly; the dedicated house opened in 1982. Today, around 10,000 children and youth pass through annually via summer camps—capped at 750 due to capacity—and school groups, spanning three generations in some families, with grandparents, parents, and children serving as monitors.

The day continued with the inauguration of a new playground, a popular lunch, a photographic exhibition at the Canillo telecabina hall, a human chain between sites, a podcast on memory albums, a fraternity dinner, and a campfire. Around 300 people attended, including Tourism and Commerce Minister Jordi Torres and Social Affairs Minister Trini Marín.