Andorran Parishes Overcome Staffing Shortages for Summer Children's Programs

Andorran parish councils, except Sant Julià de Lòria and La Massana, faced significant staffing hurdles this summer when recruiting monitors for children's activities, driven by surging demand and the need for specialised training amid a broad range of programmes.

Most parishes managed to complete their teams despite the challenges. Andorra la Vella hired 68 staff for sports, social and cultural initiatives, though it acknowledged ongoing recruitment issues, particularly in August, leaving three positions unfilled: two in sports and one at the Summer Artistic Campus. The capital offered nearly 2,600 spots, with the social department providing around 900—almost fully booked through Casal d'Infants El Llamp, Ludoteca and colonies at Cortals de Sispony and Can Font (Girona)—alongside 1,475 sports places via Escoles Esportives, Campus Esportius and Setmanes Joves. The artistic campus expanded from 30 to 54 weekly spots per session in July to meet rising interest.

Ordino dealt with more obstacles than usual for its Casal d'Estiu, as last-minute withdrawals from young candidates forced rushed replacements. It ultimately secured nine monthly monitors for the casal and one for Punt Jove, serving about 85 children weekly amid growing participation.

Canillo initially struggled with public calls but added four urgent hires due to inscription surges, especially in August. It completed 20 contracts in total for an average of 85 children in Esplai and 42 in Punt Jove, reflecting years of increasing demand that required extra staff to maintain standards.

Encamp bolstered its teams with 35 hires to cover more than 1,500 daily activity places over 10 weeks, plus 120 colony spots (40 per session). Escaldes-Engordany upheld required ratios using 132 personnel—79 auxiliars, 49 monitors and four referents—despite similar recruitment pressures, with sign-ups on par with last year.

In contrast, Sant Julià de Lòria received 21 applications for its multiesport campus from July to early September, hiring 14—eight for July and six afterwards—for 46 weekly children initially, rising to 48 later. La Massana filled all 25 roles promptly, hosting around 130 participants weekly at near-full capacity and praising the jobs as key opportunities for local youth.

Parishes overall report heightened demand for school holiday programmes, necessitating more personnel to sustain quality.