The seventh edition of Ruta al Exilio (Route to Exile) will begin on 15 July 2026, bringing together 40 young participants on a journey through the Basque Country, Navarre and south-eastern France. The initiative aims to promote education in democratic memory, civic engagement and the transmission of democratic values among younger generations.
The participants will retrace the paths of Republican exile during the Spanish Civil War and the Franco dictatorship, visiting sites that bear witness to this period of history. The programme combines historical and cultural workshops, mountain hikes, and visits to museums and memorial sites.
This year’s edition will focus on food sovereignty, exploring how society’s relationship with hunger has changed and how bread has been—and continues to be—used as a weapon of war in territories devastated by armed conflict.
The programme includes a wide range of activities, offering participants the opportunity to learn how to camp safely, listen to the testimonies of people who experienced exile, take part in an orienteering challenge in the Pyrenees, spend a night in a medieval castle and identify traces of wartime bombing in urban heritage.
Participation in Ruta al Exilio is free of charge.
Spain’s Minister for Youth and Children, Sira Rego, has highlighted the importance of this new edition, describing the project as “an essential initiative to bring culture and democratic memory closer to young people.”
As the minister has emphasised, “democratic memory not only helps us understand our past, but is also an essential tool for building a collective identity and shaping the future of the democratic society we want.”
Ruta al Exilio is organised by the Spanish Youth Institute (INJUVE) through a grant awarded to the association Be Wild Be Proud.