Bridging Worlds: A Collaborative Initiative for Youth, Libraries, and Inclusive Communities
Creating social cohesion among diverse communities.
The Local Challenge
La Fenice ASD has been part of the educational and social life of Tortona for the past 11 years. They provide after-school activities, training, cultural exchanges and non-formal education, as well as co-managing the local youth centre, which is located on the same street as the library. These two institutions are coming together to help local diverse communities from non-traditional Italian backgrounds to feel more embedded locally. They are encouraging local cultural and social cohesion, while celebrating different identities,working with the Association DorDePlai, the GambiAL association and local Sikh and Muslim community groups.
The Initiative
Through creating a buddy programme within the Romanian, Albanian and Moroccan local communities – they are pairing junior school-aged children with secondary school age youth – where the “big buddy” offers support to the “little buddies” both at school and on a personal level. The “big buddies” have mentorship training provided by La Fenice, with the library providing the materials, additional volunteers and space. There are also “focus culture” meetings, where people of all backgrounds can explore different cultural experiences through film, cooking, crafts and music, at the library.
After The Europe Challenge
This initiative became embedded as a successful intregral part of their local summer camp and the Challenge team were able to get in touch with a large number of children from many different cultural backgrounds. They have also subsequently obtained local funding to contiune, and to make it become a part of the local library’s educational offer for the 2024/2025 school year. The model has developed into their local library being a location for education activity, meaning the pupils will come as part of their school schedule to the library for the culturally inclusive workshops provided by volunteers – now collaborators of the library. This exchange is helping a very culturally diverse group of residents to feel more connected to each other.
Contact theeuropechallenge@culturalfoundation.eu if you have any questions or want to be connected with the team behind the project.
