INCONTRI CREATIVI (CREATIVE MEETINGS)

Media materials:

“The Informagiovani Eurodesk of the Municipality of Iglesias”

Organisation:

“The Informagiovani Eurodesk of the Municipality of Iglesias”

Country:

Italy

About organisation:

The Informagiovani Eurodesk of the Municipality of Iglesias, managed by the CTR Onlus Social Cooperative, works in close synergy with the other information and orientation services for young people and citizens promoted by local authorities. It is a public service aimed at young people and has the purpose of providing information and training and work orientation in Italy or abroad (it provides support for the creation of the CV and the motivational letter), knowing their rights, managing their free time in the best possible way. It also deals with European opportunities, tenders, business consultancy and recreational activities with young people.

Title of the project

INCONTRI CREATIVI (CREATIVE MEETINGS)

Start date:

12/10/2022

End date:

29/12/2022

Objectives:

Creative encounters is a project developed by the Informagiovani Eurodesk of Iglesias.It involved 15 young people/adults with fewer opportunities in interactive and re(creative) activities. The main objective was to improve awareness of their abilities and lead them to reflect on the present, past and future.The 5 meetings were divided as follows:- The cylinder of words: random picking of words and discussion in the plenary- Films and short films: watching a Brazilian comedy (two friends opt for an exchange program in the United States) and various short films (Cuerdas, The Amigos, etc.).- Escape Room: a journey inside the Louvre to be able to guess and bring to light all 12 secrets of the famous Parisian museum.- Linguistic Tombolata: game with images that have been extrapolated into English, looking for the meaning in order to find the corresponding image and winning fantastic Eurodesk "prizes" (pens, notebooks).- Board games (Taboo Italian/English (with words/cards dedicated to European opportunities), Cranium, Saltinmente, Pictionary and Pictionary Air).The project managed to give them a voice and the power to express feelings, anxieties and visions for the future, acquiring various transversal skills. The presence of some adults was important as the young people were able to notice the different facets of life yesterday and today, learning from them and approaching different realities of life.

Why the project was: empowering young people, adapting to changing realities, or thinking out of the box:

During the meetings, the topics were varied and important, from European opportunities to what the City of Iglesias can offer. In fact, Iglesias faces a series of hardships with young people every day that affect not only the socio-economic sphere but also the relational and scholastic sphere, causing scholastic failures, abandonment and dispersion phenomena. So we moved from themes dedicated to music, literature, poetry (often forgotten by young people), to themes dedicated to mentality and health, active citizenship, communication with peers and other parts of the community. There was no shortage of discussions from young people regarding their future, what they went through during the pandemic and how to deal with fear and anxiety in the face of changing routines, work and living conditions. For a young person it is important to create new networks, through these meetings they have managed to create new relationships in person, an aspect that they had completely forgotten due to the closure with the pandemic. For them it was vitally important to resume interpersonal relationships, leaving aside loneliness and the cold screen of a PC or smartphone.

How the project was inclusive:

Within each game or each film product topics of various kinds were dealt with and with reference to the European dimension. In fact, all the various opportunities that Eurodesk provides to young people were discussed (European exchanges, seasonal work, Erasmus+, au pair work, training, civil service in Italy and abroad), also encouraging their promotion and participation.

Green aspect:

During this project, resources present in the Eurodesk youth information office were used, also creating some games and through the simplicity of felt-tip pens and cards. Various eco-sustainable themes and more have been developed within the film products screened and the various games played, in fact the topics covered are various: hope, disability, education, love, bond, dreams, relationships, ecology, protection and sustainability for the products offered by our country and European and non-European countries (Brazil, New York), protection of the environment and the world.

How the project has given a European dimension to your event and ensured the visibility and promotion of Eurodesk?

Within each game or each film product topics of various kinds were dealt with and with reference to the European dimension. In fact, all the various opportunities that Eurodesk provides to young people were discussed (European exchanges, seasonal work, Erasmus+, au pair work, training, civil service in Italy and abroad), also encouraging their promotion and participation.

Impact:

The impact with the local community has been considerable, as every day Iglesias faces a series of hardships with young people that affect not only the socio-economic sphere but also the relational and scholastic sphere, causing school failures, abandonment and dispersion phenomena. This project managed to give them the power to express feelings, anxieties and visions for the future, acquiring different transversal skills. The young people, through the participation of some elderly people, have grasped the different facets of life of yesterday and today, learning to be more patient and approaching the different realities of life. Another very important aspect is that of people with disabilities, who finally felt welcomed, understood and not judged, this was a way to give them a voice again, hope, helping them not to fall behind and to get out of their of minority” (also through moments of conviviality (gluttonous snacks).