Gim Jove: Andorra's supervised gym programme for teens tackles sedentarism

Every weekday evening the machines at the Estadi Comunal gym fill with adolescents who train, encourage each other and adopt routines that until recently felt distant. Worldwide figures are stark: the WHO has warned for years that as many as four out of five adolescents do not meet recommended minimums for physical activity, and recent studies show young people spend eight to ten hours a day on sedentary activities. In Andorra, UNICEF’s 2022 study found 96.5% of 12- to 16-year-olds use digital devices in their free time, and nearly half spend more than five hours a day on them at weekends. Those habits affect physical health as well as emotional wellbeing, life satisfaction and social integration.

Gim Jove is a pioneering initiative from the Comú of Andorra la Vella that offers a supervised space for 12- to 15-year-olds to start strength training safely and educationally. The project responds to a proposal from the Consell de Joves that adolescents need their own space to train with professional support. Sessions run Monday to Friday in the evenings, limited to six participants per instructor; each young person may sign up for up to two one-hour sessions per week.

Supervision is central. Adrià, who has decades of experience working with children and young people, teaches technique, explains how machines work and prescribes repetitions and sets, while encouraging participants to build their own routines to foster autonomy and responsibility. “It’s the best initiative against sedentarism,” Adrià says as he watches a group focused on free bars. “They come motivated because it’s something they need. And there’s a queue!”

The scheme launched in November and has almost fully filled the 54 available places, with only a few slots open in specific time bands. Motivations for attending vary. Noa, 14, came from many years of urban dance and wanted something different. “I enjoy it, I meet people and I notice changes,” she says. “Alone at the gym I wouldn’t do it the same.” She notes that supervision is key and that the experience has made her interested in continuing when she turns 16 and can join an adult gym.

Martí Guix, 15, uses the gym differently: he plays football and wanted to strengthen muscles and avoid injury. “I like it because I come with friends and we have a coach who tells me how to do the exercises,” he explains. For him, the main benefit is the safety and support.

From the Youth Service, Patty Bafino highlights that Gim Jove works because it adapts to adolescents’ habits: varied proposals, short commitments and options for self-management. “Long-term projects are hard for them to sustain. Here they can sign up by term, come once or twice a week, and that suits this stage,” she says.

The Comú hopes to maintain and possibly expand the initiative, though Bafino notes this will depend on the continuation of collaboration with FC Andorra. Registrations for the next term, January to March, will open on 19 December, and all signs point to the gym filling again.

In a world where screens absorb hours and energy, Gim Jove offers a small but potent alternative: a place where movement regains its role, adolescents rediscover themselves, and their abilities grow at their own pace.