Esplais Catalans, Esplac

What Esplais Catalans, Esplac does

Esplais Catalans (Esplac) is a private, non-profit association founded in 1982 and headquartered in Barcelona that serves as the umbrella organization for an estimated 74+ local "esplais" (children's and youth leisure-education centers) distributed across geographic sectors throughout Catalonia. The association delivers Saturday afternoon educational sessions (typically 16h-19h) for children aged 4-17, weekend outings, summer colonies (3-15 days), camps, and routes, reaching more than 5,000 children in summer 2026 alone. It is governed democratically by member esplais through a General Assembly and Gran Comitè, with voluntary coordinators elected for two-year terms (Equip de Coordinació) supported by approximately 27 paid technical staff (Secretaria Tècnica and Coordinadors de Projectes de Sector).

Its core programmatic portfolio includes the triennial Monifesta't gathering for monitors (800+ participants in Manresa, 2026), the triennial Esplaiada for all esplais with children and youth, the annual Escola d'Esplac training weekend, the international Training Course, and topical Jornades on feminism, dissidence, and anti-racism. Supporting infrastructure consists of the esplac.cat website (available in Catalan, Spanish, and English), the 'L'Era' internal intranet, the Banc de Recursos resource platform (bancrecursos.esplac.cat), a summer activities finder, an esplai locator, and integrations with Google Analytics, CookieYes, Typeform, Flickr, Instagram, YouTube, and iCal. The organization maintains a documented Llibre d'Estil (style guide) and produces La Piqueta digital magazine.

The revenue model is membership-based: individual supporters pay €35/year (general) or €10/year for monitors (minimum 3-year commitment), and member esplais pay association fees, with 50% of individual dues redistributed back to esplais. Growth is community-led, with new esplais admitted by General Assembly vote and individual membership serving both as a funding stream and as a participation channel. Strategic priorities for 2024-2027 include expansion via a newly created Sector Descentralitzat (April 2026), regional Coordinator hiring, and an international program pilot in Senegal ('Speak Up!').

Name

Esplais Catalans, Esplac

Legal name

ESPLAIS CATALANS

Website

https://esplac.cat

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Esplais Catalans (Esplac) is a non-profit association founded in 1982 in Catalonia that serves as the umbrella for 74+ local esplais providing secular, progressive educational leisure activities to children and youth aged 4-17 and training volunteer monitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from individual supporters (socis col·laboradors): €35/year for general members, €10/year for monitors ('monis') for a minimum of 3 years.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Esplais Catalans (Esplac) is a non-profit association that coordinates a network of local esplais (children's and youth leisure education centers) across Catalonia. It delivers educational leisure programs for children aged 4-17, including Saturday activities, summer colonies/camps/routes, and trains volunteer monitors in popular education. The organization also organizes large community gatherings, training programs, and advocates for children's rights through a secular and progressive framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Esplai Activities (After-school Educational Leisure Program) Saturday afternoon educational activities for children aged 4-17, running from 16h to 19h, with weekend outings and summer programs including colonies, camps, and routes. Delivered through member esplais.
• Monifesta't General gathering of monitors and leaders held every three years, featuring training, activities, and community celebration. The 2026 edition took place in Manresa with over 800 participants.
• Esplaiada General gathering of all esplais including children, youth, and monitors, held every three years. Features assemblies, games, and activities where children and youth voice their opinions on topics of interest.
• Escola d'Esplac Annual training weekend for Esplac monitors, also open to member collaborators and external parties linked to educational associationism. Features debates and shared experiences on educational practice topics.
• Training Course International training course offering educational activities and exchanges for youth workers and monitors.
• Jornades de Lleure i Feminismes Annual joint training event organized with Escola Lliure El Sol, Casals de Joves de Catalunya, Escoltes Catalans, and Esplac, focusing on feminist and LGTBI topics in educational leisure.
• Jornades Dissidents Training sessions addressing diverse and dissident topics within the organization.
• Tardes de Lleure i Antiracisme Training sessions focused on leisure education and anti-racism.
• Campaments Pedagògics Pedagogical camps with an educational focus, distinct from traditional summer camps.
• Banc de Recursos Resource bank offering ideas and useful documents for the educational work of esplais. Available at bancrecursos.esplac.cat.
• Membership Program Collaborating member program with annual fee of €35 (general) or €10 (monis/youth), offering information, publications, advantages, and participation in decision-making spaces. 50% of fees go to esplais.
• Summer Activities Finder Search tool for finding summer camps, colonies, and routes offered by Esplais.
• Esplai Locator Search tool for finding esplais near the user's location.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000+ children participate in summer activities annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• IncoopminorOthersA non-profit work and consumption cooperative that generates, designs, manages, and develops educational, cultural, and social projects and services, accompanying and advising entities, collectives, and individuals. Offers discounts to Esplac members.
• Escola Lliure El SolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining school that promotes knowledge and growth of activists, leaders, workers, and trainers in popular education and social economy. Esplac and Escola Lliure El Sol jointly design training courses and continuing education programs for monitors, leaders, workers, and trainers, in accordance with their shared ideology. Also organizes the annual 'Jornades de Lleure i Feminismes' together with other youth organizations.
• Fundació Francesc Ferrer i GuàrdiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA non-profit foundation that supports the associative movement. It is a think tank that generates knowledge through applied social research in the areas of youth, education, democratic participation, European citizenship, and public policies.
• Acció Escolta de CatalunyaminorOthersA scout education proposal - a school of active, democratic, secular, progressive, and Catalan citizenship.
• CooperaccióminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn international cooperation association that contributes through its actions to the empowerment of women, the full exercise of their rights, and the achievement of gender equity as essential conditions for social justice, sustainable human development, and peace.
• CNJC (Consell Nacional de Joventut de Catalunya)minorOthersNational Youth Council of Catalonia. Participated in Monifesta't 2026 Fira d'Entitats.
• Casals de JovesminorOthersYouth centers network. Participated in Monifesta't 2026 Fira d'Entitats.
• FETS (Finançament Ètic i Solidari)minorOthersEthical and solidarity financing organization. Participated in Monifesta't 2026 Fira d'Entitats.
• Programa Ocell de Foc de la Catalunya CentralminorOthersFire Bird Program from Central Catalonia. Participated in Monifesta't 2026 Fira d'Entitats.
• International Falcon Movement (IFM)minorOthersInternational organization for youth education and exchange.
• Federació Catalana d'Escoltisme i Guiatge (FCEG)minorOthersCatalan Federation of Scouting and Guiding.
• Minyons Escoltes i Guies (MEG)minorOthersScouting and guiding organization in Catalonia.
• Consell de la Joventut de Barcelona (CJB)minorOthersYouth Council of Barcelona.
• Centre de Recursos per a les Associacions Juvenils de Barcelona (CRAJ)minorOthersResource center for youth associations in Barcelona.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Casals de Joves de Catalunya: Network of youth centres in Catalonia explicitly partnered with Esplac. Provides educational leisure and youth engagement services to overlapping age groups (12-18) using comparable community-led methodologies.
• Federació Catalana d'Escoltisme i Guiatge (FCEG): Catalan scouting and guiding federation explicitly partnered with Esplac. FCEG federates multiple youth organisations using scouting methodology, competing for the same volunteer-leader and family segments in Catalonia.
• Escola Lliure El Sol: Strategic training partner of Esplac that co-designs monitor training and co-organises annual Jornades de Lleure i Feminismes. Operates a closely related popular-education and social-economy training model for activists and educators.
• Escoltes Catalans (Catalan Scouting): Secular, progressive scouting organisation in Catalonia that co-organises training events with Esplac. Operates as a near-identical alternative for families seeking values-based youth leisure education.
• Acció Escolta de Catalunya: Direct peer named as a partner of Esplac. Acció Escolta is a secular, progressive, Catalan scouting-style youth organisation offering educational leisure activities in the same territory, with overlapping values, methodologies, and target audience.
• Moviment Scout Catòlic (MSC): Catholic scouting movement in Catalonia and a competitor for the same families seeking structured youth leisure. Differs in faith-based positioning but competes head-to-head for member recruitment and volunteer monitors.
• Minyons Escoltes i Guies (MEG): Catalan scouting and guiding organisation listed as an Esplac partner. MEG offers structured educational leisure to children and youth through similar volunteer-led, values-based pedagogy in the same Catalan market.

Others

• Fundació Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia: Non-profit think tank and applied social research foundation partnered with Esplac. Operates in the same youth-education policy and advocacy space, with aligned progressive and pedagogical values.

Regional players

• Consell Nacional de la Joventut de Catalunya (CNJC): Catalan National Youth Council that participated in Esplac's Monifesta't 2026. Operates as an umbrella for youth organisations in Catalonia and represents an overlapping civic-political youth constituency.

Broad incumbents

• International Falcon Movement - Socialist Educational International (IFM-SEI): International progressive youth education federation explicitly partnered with Esplac via the Training Course. Operates the same secular, left-of-centre pedagogical tradition across Europe, providing a comparable international umbrella structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/esplaiscatalans
• Instagraminstagram.com/monifestat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esplais-catalans-esplac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Esplais Catalans, Esplac