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WATCH THE AWARD CEREMONY Aqualia’s Digital Children’s Contest has been recognised as the “Best Integrated Communication Strategy” at the XII Edition of the Corresponsa- bles Iberoamerica 2021 Awards. Juan Royo, from CulturaRSC.com, presen- ted the award to Juan Pablo Merino, Aqualia’s Director of Communication and CSR, who collected the prize at a ceremony held at the Ministry of La- bour and Social Economy. The educational initiative, which this year celebrates its 20th anniver- sary, has already trained more than 250,000 students from different ge - nerations in the responsible use of water. The current edition alone has involved more than 7,000 hours of di- gital training. More than 20 years ago, when the sustainability of water resources was just beginning to be discussed, Aqualia set itself the challenge of implementing actions that would hi- ghlight the educational role that it could play as a water management company. This led to the Children’s Drawing Competition, which not only focuses on aspects related to water management, but also seeks to rai- se awareness about conscious con- sumption: how our daily decisions and habits influence the evolution of the environmental problems we face and have socio-economic repercus- sions for everyone. Education, key to improving qua- lity of life and sustainable develo- pment UNESCO points out that “education for sustainable development has a transformative potential that should prepare students of all ages to find solutions to the challenges of today and tomorrow”. In this sense, Aqualia works to make society more sensiti- ve and aware of what is necessary for water to reach homes, and why it Aqualia wins award for educational project that has trained 250,000 students in responsible water consumption Juan Pablo Merino, Aqualia’s Director of Communication and CSR, received the award at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy. Group photo of the representatives of the companies awarded at the 12th edition of the Corresponsables Awards. should be consumed responsibly. All of this, bearing in mind that what is learned and internalised during child- hood is not forgotten. In this educational dynamic, Aqua- lia’s Children’s Drawing Competition is a key element in the dissemination of these kinds of messages. This in- formative vocation is also reflected in the educational classroom www. aqualiaeduca.com , the first online educational channel of its kind in the sector; the development of open days in which more than 15,000 schoolchildren have participated every year until the outbreak of the pandemic; and the support for the training and professional qualifica - tion of young people. With the commitment to prepare new generations for the upcoming cha- llenge of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Deve- lopment Goals (SDGs), in recent years the emphasis has been placed on this topic, especially on SDG6, “Clean water and sanitation”, and the site www.aqualiayods6.com . The aim is to educate and involve chil- dren in the world of the SDGs in a fun way through two characters, “Aqual” and “SDG6”, the protagonists of the competition. The Children’s Digital Drawing Com- petition is a consolidated project that has already succeeded in educating several generations on the impor- tance of efficient water management and the work behind turning on the tap and having quality water. R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y 43 R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y