«The rural world prepares the ‘jato’ to demonstrate that there is life in the towns and break stigmas». This is the objective, in the words of Álvaro Sánchez Cotrina -vice president of the Provincial Council of Cáceres and head of the demographic challenge area-, pursued by the ‘Encounter of opportunities in rural areas of the province of Cáceres’. The event, organized by the institution and called ‘Jato’ in reference to the Extremaduran term traditionally used to refer to luggage, will take place in six spaces in the old part of Cáceres from June 3 to 5 with the aim of making visible that towns are a good destination to live, undertake and work from them.
‘Jato’ proposes a trip of the 224 municipalities of the province of Cáceres and its six smaller local entities to the capital to exhibit the best of each house. Technical conferences, parades, craft workshops, gastronomic exhibitions, a meeting between companies and Vocational Training students looking for a job opportunity, urban art and live music are the backbone of a program that was born with a vocation for permanence and whose budget amounts to 200,000 euros.
The details have been presented this Friday morning in the gardens of the Pedrilla Museum. Carlos Carlos, president of the Diputación, has pointed out that the idea of the meeting is “to bring the rural world to Cáceres” and thus take advantage of the tourist flow of the capital. The old part will become, in this way, the showcase designed by the Diputación so that artisans, artists, businessmen, entrepreneurs, freelancers and chefs show their ways of life in rural areas. “Our idea is to bring the potential of the rural world to the city. The pandemic has discovered that there are new opportunities in the towns,” Carlos stressed, explaining that the origin of the ‘Jato’ meeting is in the Montánchez Declaration, which emerged from the 1st National Congress on Depopulation in the Rural World held in 2016.
six spaces
The programming of ‘Jato’ revolves around six spaces in the old town of Cáceres. The Helga de Alvear Museum will host the technical conferences dedicated to the opportunities of the rural world. The presence of Francesc Xavier Boya Alós, general secretary for the demographic challenge of the Government of Spain, is expected for the opening.
The president of the Provincial Council, Carlos Carlos, during the presentation of the program. /
The second stage on which the program is articulated is Casa Pereros, now called the Charo Cordero International Studies Center. Although the building will open as a university residence in September, on June 3 it will open its doors for the first time after its rehabilitation to host the 1st Connect Employment Forum, in which different companies in the province will hold job interviews for Vocational Training students. Those interested in participating in this meeting must register on the event’s website, which will be available starting next week.
In the Plaza de Santa María, 21 leading companies in the province will show their work and make visible that it is possible to undertake from the rural area. Among the participating firms is Tapiz Verde (supplier of natural grass for the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, among others), Imedexa or Trefilería Aliseda.
The fourth focus of action will be at the Palacio de Carvajal, where there will be live craft demonstrations, from woodturning, pottery, artisan shoemaking, basketry or fabric decoration.
The Plaza Mayor is the stage to show the tourist and gastronomic offer. All the regions of the province will have a space to publicize their resources and their festivals. And, in addition, a tent for the agri-food industry will be installed on the premises, with live workshops that will include the participation of proper names such as Álex Hernández, head chef of the Versatile restaurant in Zarza de Granadilla, awarded with a Michelin star. To participate in the activities of the tent, prior registration is required.
And finally, the Plaza de San Mateo will host a craft market organized in collaboration with the Association of Artisans of Extremadura, ‘Arteanex’. At this same point there will be concerts starting at 9:30 p.m. by artists from the province such as Bambikina, Niño Índigo or El Pelujáncanu, among others.
Two other proposals must be added to this offer: urban art in different enclaves by eight renowned artists and parades of popular festivals in the province, from the Jarramplas de Piornal to the Conversos de Hervás, which will run through the Plaza Mayor.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.