The urban regeneration project proposed by the social cooperatives A Casa di Momo and Identità was presented. Among the partners, also the Municipality of Acireale
Mayor Roberto Barbagallo: «The redevelopment paths allow minors and families to consider the city their home»
ACIREALE – «We are very happy to welcome this project to Acireale, which directly involves many schools and associations. Urban redevelopment programs are very important, especially when they involve children and young people, because they allow them to concretely acquire the awareness that the city is their home». These are the words of the mayor of Acireale, Roberto Barbagallo, who spoke during the press conference to present “La mia piccolacittà”, the project conceived and proposed by the social cooperative A Casa di Momo (leader), in association with the social cooperative Identità.
“The Municipality will certainly give its contribution”, continued the mayor of Acireale. For a year, “My little city” will involve and actively involve minors and their families in the transformation of Acireale into a more inclusive, accessible, active and green city.
«One of the objectives – explained Stefania Ferrara, president of A Casa di Momo – is to encourage the democratic participation of the little ones in the governance of the territory». Through a series of activities, carried out mainly outdoors, in urban and natural areas, which will make the next few months of Acireale lively, starting from the summer.
We will begin with a series of workshops organized by the partner associations and will continue with a training course – between experiential pedagogy and adventure education – lasting four months, aimed at ten minors who leave penal institutions for minors and who have been admitted to the so-called “testing”.
They will be the ones to train to become volunteers, in order to support the educators in the other workshops that will involve boys and girls. The very young people of Acireale will be asked to choose five urban areas to redevelop, to imagine the projects and to select those to be officially presented to the Municipality of Acireale.
Discovering the city in this way – that is, with the eye of those who want to improve it and experience it with more intensity – will allow users of “My little city” to create, with the help of an expert illustrator, a life-size map of Acireale boys, girls, boys, girls and families.
«This project will go well beyond the expected duration because in this way a model of participatory democracy and active citizenship is launched that can continue in the future», declared the councilor and deputy mayor Valentina Pulvirenti. Also present at the press conference were Giuseppe Grasso, from the Identità cooperative; and Valeria Pasqualino, contact person for the A Casa di Momo cooperative.
The partners of “La mia piccolocittà” are the social cooperatives A Casa di Momo and Identità, the Municipality of Acireale, the Minors Social Service Office of Catania, the comprehensive and educational institutes Giovanni XXIII, Vigo Fuccio – La Spina, Galileo Galilei, Gulli and Pennisi, the Chiarìa aps, the Sartorius Waltershausen Legambiente Acireale club, the cultural associations L’Albero Filosofico and Cardacìo, the “Atene e Roma” participatory foundation, the Zelos onlus association.
“My little city”, of the ATS established by the Soc. Coop. Soc. A Casa di Momo and the Soc. Coop. Soc. Identità, is financed by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, department for family policies, as part of the public notice for the financing of projects to combat educational poverty and support the cultural and educational opportunities of minors “Educating Together” age.
