Virginia Barcones reminds young people born in 2005 that the deadline for applying for the Young Cultural Bonus ends on September 30

• As of August 31, 46% of the 21,254 potential beneficiaries in Castilla y León had applied for it

September 9, 2023.- The delegate of the Government in Castilla y León, Virginia Barcones, recalled this morning in Soria to all young people who reach the age of 18 in 2023 that until September 30 the application period to obtain the Young Cultural Bonus is open. As he said, “they get 400 euros to buy and enjoy cultural products and activities just because they were born in 2005. There are no more requirements. It’s as simple as that. But you have to ask for it.”

This is already the second edition of a program launched by the Government of Spain in 2022. The more than 500,000 young people who in 2023 turn eighteen in Spain, 21,254 in Castilla y León and 799 in Soria, are potential beneficiaries of this invitation to enter the adult age at the hand of culture.

The Ministry of Culture and Sport has an amount of 8.5 million euros for the young people of this Autonomous Community, 320,000 euros for the young people of Soria. “It would be a shame,” said Baraches, “if it were not distributed until the last euro because one or more of those born in 2005 did not apply for their Young Cultural Bond.”

The deadline was June 13 and, as of August 31, 9,714 young people from Castilla y León had already made the application, 45.70% of the total number of possible beneficiaries. And in Soria, 369 out of 799 have requested it, 46.18%. The delegate of the Government hopes that “in these twenty days that remain, and now that the summer holidays have practically ended, this percentage will grow until we get as close as possible to one hundred percent”.

FEATURES

Barcones has said that these 400 euros can be invested for a whole year. Young people born in 2005 (who turn 18 in 2023) are entitled to the Young Cultural Voucher. They are both those born in Spain and those who have residency, asylum seekers, temporary displaced persons or young ex-guardians.

The application is made exclusively online, through the website https://bonoculturajoven.gob.es and it is a very simple procedure, “much more than what ended up being last year”, said the representative of the Government of Spain in Castilla y León.

The application can be made by the young person or by a person over 18 years of age on his or her behalf. In both cases it is necessary to register on the web with an email (that of the young person) and have a digital certificate or basic or advanced key.

In the event that the request is made by a representative, a model of representation signed by representative and represented must be attached. If not, the request is not valid.

The Bono is an open door to culture in all its extension: books, cinema, theater, opera, online products…

WHAT YOU CAN SPEND

The Bonus is divided into three sections to promote access to different cultural expressions:

• 200 euros for live arts, cultural heritage and audiovisual arts. For example, tickets and subscriptions for performing arts, live music, cinema, museums, libraries, exhibitions and scenic, literary, musical or audiovisual festivals and bullfighting shows.

• 100 euros for cultural products on physical support. For example, books, magazines, press, or other periodicals; video games, sheet music, discs, CDs, DVDs, or Blu-ray.

• 100 euros for digital or online consumption. For example, subscriptions and rentals to music, reading or listening platforms, or audiovisuals, purchase of audiobooks, purchase of digital books (e-books), subscription to download multimedia files (podcasts), subscriptions to online video games, digital subscriptions to press, magazines or other periodicals.

Stationery products are not included; curricular, printed or digital textbooks; computer and electronic equipment, software, hardware and consumables; artistic material; musical instruments; sports shows, fashion and gastronomy. Products qualified as X or pornographic are not included either.

But, in addition, the Bonus is a direct aid to the cultural sector, a determined support for a key sector of the economy: culture accounts for 3.2% of GDP, and employs 700,000 people (almost 3.5% of total employment). This sector, the cultural sector, was one of those that suffered most as a result of the pandemic.

AFFILIATED ESTABLISHMENTS OR INSTITUTIONS

The Voucher will be used exclusively in establishments or institutions affiliated to the program (as is the case of the Piccolo bookstore, in Soria, where Barcones has attended the media this morning), located throughout the national territory, or whose offer is consumable from the aforementioned territory.

CULTURAL BONUS 2022

The government delegate also spoke about the Young Cultural Bonus of 2022. In Castilla y León, 13,103 were granted, that is, almost 5,250,000 euros. In Soria there were 495 (almost 200,000 euros).

As of June 30, 2023, the latest data published, 58,000 operations had been carried out in Castilla y León for a total amount of almost 2 million euros. In Soria, 1,681 operations had been carried out in the amount of 61,000 euros.

This means that operations amounting to more than 3,250,000 euros in Castilla y León and almost 140,000 euros in Soria were missing. The delegate of the Government recalled that “in 2022 the young people began to receive the concession of their Young Cultural Voucher for these dates and that the deadline to make the cultural investment they wish to make was twelve months from the date of concession, not since they requested it or since they received it”.

“It could be the case,” concluded Virginia Baraches, “that, if they are neglected, they cannot invest the 400 euros in full. So I also take this opportunity to convey to you that you take this circumstance into account.”

In the application and on the web, the beneficiaries have a counter that tells them how much time they have left to use it. For the delegate of the Government “the voucher allows to invite friends and family to the cinema, to the theater, to concerts… it allows to discover unknown cultural expressions or complete a collection of books, comics or albums. Don’t let your time pass. It would be a shame.”

In the application and on the web https://beneficiarios.bonoculturajoven.gob.es/entidades-adheridas Young people can find the entities and companies in which they can use the voucher, both physically and online.