- 1964M.ª Nieves Sunyer and M.ª Victoria Eiroa, Spanish representatives nominated by the International Theatre Institute of the Ministry of Information and Tourism, attended a meeting in London to promote an international association of children's theatre. Representatives from all European countries, the USA, Israel, and South Africa attended.
- 1965ASSITEJ (Association Internationale de Théâtre Enfance Jeunesse) was founded at the First International Congress of Children's Theatre (June 2-10, 1965) in Paris, sponsored by Leon Chancerel. Spain was one of the founding countries. ASSITEJ and its national centers are the only ones recognized by the ITI and UNESCO for international exchanges.
- 1966New ASSITEJ International Congress in Prague. M.ª Nieves Sunyer and Elisa de Lara attend. AETIJ (Spanish Association of Theatre for Children and Youth) is established, recognized by the Ministry of the Interior as the Spanish ASSITEJ Center.
- 1967The 1st National Children's Theater Congress is meeting in Barcelona to promote the Association. The congress will be held every two years.
- 1968. The 3rd ASSITEJ International Congress will be held in The Hague, Netherlands, in May of this year. M.ª Nieves Sunyer, Fabián Puigcerver, and Francesc Nel·lo will be in attendance.
- 1969. II National Congress of Children's Theatre AETIJ, in Palma de Mallorca.
In 1968 and 1969, thanks to the sponsorship of the General Directorate of Popular Culture and Entertainment of the Ministry of Information and Tourism, AETIJ organized the first and second "Campaigns" to promote children's theater. They reached 790 performances. Furthermore, with the intention of solving one of the main problems of this theater, the lack of repertoire, the AETIJ Author Award was held every two years until 1973, but it was always hopelessly unclaimed.
1970. IV ASSITEJ International Congress in Venice. Spain joins the Executive Committee.
The first Newsletter of the Spanish Association of Theatre for Children and Youth is published: "It is the aim of those who direct it to reflect all possible activities, keep members informed, and somehow vitalize the efforts of others," it states in its editorial.
1971. III AETIJ Congress in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. III Children's Theatre Campaign.
1972As a member of the ASSITEJ Executive Committee, M.ª Nieves Sunyer attended the 50th anniversary celebrations of the USSR Children's Theatre in Moscow, Leningrad, and Riga. The ASSITEJ Executive Committee met in the GDR, and its Board of Directors met in Sofia, Bulgaria. The 5th ASSITEJ International Congress was held in June in Montreal and Albany.
1973The AETIJ Newsletter coexisted for three years with another newsletter that eventually absorbed it: the Ibero-American Newsletter of Theater for Children and Youth. Its purpose is to exchange information on theater for children and young people in Latin America, including research, plays, and news from around the world. After 35 years, the newsletter, with some temporary gaps, continues to be published.
The IV AETIJ National Congress will be held this year with two Eastern European countries as guests, the USSR and Bulgaria, in a Madrid still under dictatorship.
1974The ASSITEJ Executive Committee meets in Zagreb.
1975A very important year for AETIJ: at the 5th ASSITEJ Congress in East Berlin (GDR), M. Nieves Sunyer was appointed Vice President of the Board of Directors. Previously, in April, the ASSITEJ Executive Committee met in Madrid, where they reviewed our association and proposed designating Madrid as the host of the 6th ASSITEJ International Congress, which AETIJ accepted. This year, the AETIJ National Congress was held in Torremolinos.
1976ASSITEJ Board of Directors meeting in Milan. M. Nieves Sunyer now serves as vice president, and she is invited to Tallinn, Estonia, in 1977. ASSITEJ Executive Committee meeting in Calgary.
1978The 6th International Congress on Theater for Children and Youth, the first to be held in Spain, will be held in Madrid from June 10th to 17th. The speakers included Nat Eek (USA), Ion Lucian (Romania), and Carmen Bravo Villasante (Spain). Children's theater groups from the USA, Czechoslovakia, and Spain performed.
1979ASSITEJ Board of Directors meeting in Sibenik (Yugoslavia).
1980ASSITEJ Executive Committee in Washington. AETIJ National Congress in Burgos.
1981Representatives from 13 Latin American countries are meeting in Spain at the Castillo de la Mota to promote the creation of ASSITEJ Centers in those countries, ensuring that AETIJ is represented throughout most of the Americas. AETIJ will mediate between Latin America and Europe.
1982ASSITEJ Board of Directors meeting in Havana. AETIJ sends a Spanish group to perform at the 1st ASSITEJ International Children's Theater Festival in Lyon. AETIJ National Congress in Almería.
These were the days of the Cold War, and the Spanish AETIJ served as a mediator between the two blocs. It also participated in several international exchanges, such as the roundtable on theater, attended by a director from each member country of the Association, and convened by ASSITEJ Germany in Berlin.
1983ASSITEJ Executive Committee meeting in Lisbon. M.ª Nieves Sunyer is accompanied by María Navarro, the future president of AETIJ. The AETIJ Author Award is being held again and continues to be held biennially.
1984. After the dismantling of the National Congresses, the 1st National Exhibition of Children's and Youth Theatre (AETIJ) was held in Madrid's Olimpia Hall, followed by the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in Madrid's San Pol Hall, in 1985, 1986, and 1987, respectively. Representatives from Hungary, Sweden, England, Switzerland, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ceylon, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Russia, and Greece attended.
1985Through AETIJ, the Emigration Institute contracts the Curial group from Barcelona and the Tarima group from Bilbao to perform in several European countries. Since 1987, various theater directors and groups have been invited to Italy, Russia, Denmark, and Mexico.
1989AETIJ was about to preside over ASSITEJ, but decided to postpone the appointment until 1992, to coincide with the festivities planned for that year. He failed to achieve this: in 1990, he resigned as Vice President of the Board of Directors.
The are created ASSITEJ NATIONAL AWARDS Spain, awarded annually to a person or entity dedicated to work benefiting children's theater.
In 1993, the Association began awarding the title of Honorary Member to individuals who have worked for years in support of children's theater, even if they were retired from this activity at the time of the award.
In December of this year, issue 52 of the Ibero-American Bulletin of Theatre for Children and Youth was published, the last in the old format and with this numbering.
In 1994, 1995, and 1997, ASSITEJ collaborated with the UNED (National University of Education) in organizing a Children's and Youth Theater Conference, published in three volumes. In 1996-97, AETIJ received the Professional Training Award for Dramatic Arts, granted by the Valencia City Council and the World Council for Vocational Training, based on its meritorious academic and professional work. A year later, on the fiftieth anniversary of Joventut de la Faràndula, the company presented ASSITEJ Spain with a medal of appreciation for its collaboration in the development of theater for children.
By the end of the 20th century, Aetij had lost much of its capacity for action and its impact on the sector. During this time of difficulties, particularly budgetary ones, the constant work of Marisa Barredo, who had been its general secretary for over a decade, enabled Aetij to survive that period of crisis.
During those years, various theatre personalities such as Fernando Almena and Manuel Gómez served as president of the Association.
At the beginning of the century, Marisa Barredo worked hard to pass the baton to new members to revitalize the association. The team comprised of Luis Matilla, Javo Rodríguez, and Lola Lara joined the board of Aetij, which soon became known as ASSITEJ Spain, clearly demonstrating her plan to resume its strong involvement with the international organization.
With this boost, the association regained the sector's support, significantly increased its membership, and launched an action plan that includes its presence and active participation in various events related to the arts, children, and youth. Prominent examples of this are its roundtable discussions at FETEN, the Teatralia Meetings, and the León Book Fair. Its participation in the AAT's International Theatre Book Fair, the Meeting of Performing Arts Schools for Children and Young People, and its participation on the FETEN Awards jury are just a few examples.
The Association has increased its publishing activity, with a collection of Children's and Youth Theater that now includes 23 titles. Associated with the Juan Cervera Research Award, which was first announced in 2001, the Essay Collection has now reached its seventh volume. Both initiatives clearly demonstrate ASSITEJ Spain's commitment to promoting research and study of theater for children and youth. In 2011, ASSITEJ launched its third publishing collection, which focuses on children's theater by foreign authors. For the first time in Spain, the collection will benefit from a dedicated collection.
The most up-to-date information is disseminated through the bimonthly Digital Bulletin, which, in addition to news about the association's activities, offers members a space to report on its premieres and most important events. Performances and other news are also disseminated in the news section of this website. A decade after its launch, both the website and the digital magazine were undergoing a revamp in 2011.
In the area of documentation, the historical archive was organized and described (in accordance with internationally recognized archival criteria) and the library was cataloged. This allowed for an exhibition in 2007 covering the association's 40th anniversary, which was shown in Madrid, Gijón, Valencia, and Seville.
