There is an urgent need to sprout the seeds of democracy and active participation in civic deserts, by building a model of sustainable and integral development, through the interchange between local communities and migrants. The co-creation of two social gardens in Borgo and Chieri as places of awareness, exchange and intercultural youth training will contribute to this goal. They will be in connection with similar realities in Croatia and Portugal to strengthen active citizenship, democracy.

Borgo Mezzanone, Southern part of Italy.
Chieri and neighbouring municipalities, North West Italy.

Borgo Mezzanone is located far from the major cities and lacks essential services. The majority of the population is composed of migrants who live in informal settlements and are employed in seasonal agricultural work. Chieri and neighbouring municipalities present a heterogeneous society with the presence of poorly integrated ethnic minorities in the local community. In both territories, where ASCS is operating, there are closure attitudes and sometimes exploitation often motivated by misinformation and prejudices. The coexistence of diversity requires knowledge and understanding of others, the ability to mediate.
Through a new cultural and ecological awareness every citizen is stimulated to take care of the environment acquiring civic skills to actively participate in the social life.

By keeping a welcoming and inclusive style, we want to involve all citizens in the whole project. The garden will become a space where people can meet and work together, beyond political party, cultural or religious affiliations. In this way, we will train ourselves to consider diversity, not as a pathology, but as a physiological part of the system, and as a bearer of added value. The training and awareness course will prepare young people to perceive the beauty and the non-delegable need to participate, in order to build a more inclusive and more sustainable world. Borgo: 800 inhabitants (250 young people) plus 2500 seasonal migrant workers. Chieri and neighboring: 80 thousand inhabitants; 4500 students 13-18 years. 15 thousand followers of ViaScalabrini3 and of the SIMN EU.

Participation, critical thinking, dialogue and living diversity are the key principles of all our activities that develop through three steps:

1. Social garden as a place to inhabit diversity, the active and democratic participation of young people in the area
2. Public awareness sessions and citizenship training activities, especially aimed at young people, through theater, cinema, trainings, workshops, digital meetings
3. International weeks of exchange and study

The tools and methods chosen are able to generate the debate between the various local actors and to develop a common language in civic deserts. Civic engagement, youth leadership and a sense of local belonging are developed through the care and sharing of the social garden.

Citizenship prepared with intercultural tools capable of understanding, interacting and tolerating cultural and political diversity. Adolescents and young people strengthen their skills: autonomy, critical thinking, teamwork, community sense and collaboration; ability to listen and debate, to welcome diversity as a value. Young protagonists of politics in view of the sustainable development of the planet through an integral ecology with a view to The “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and Encyclical Letter “Laudato Si”. Feeling part of Europe and of a context and feeling responsible for its improvement, even living in a civic desert or in rural context.

We want to promote democracy and active citizenship through an experiential process with the construction of a social garden as a public good. There will be coexistence of a civic and multicultural relationality and a representation of an ecological and sustainable development. The coexistence of diversity requires knowledge and understanding of others, the ability to mediate and to recognize and safeguard the dignity and human rights.
With this theoretical and practical project, we want to involve young people, Italians and migrants, in a path of civic education in their local regions and encourage civic engagement between heterogeneous social groups and activate integral ecology processes.

We believe that we can collaborate to create a world with more bridges and less walls. Pangea, a land without borders, where everyone feels they belong to this planet with the role of guarding, to take care of the Earth and the people who are living on it.

We believe that cultural diversity and different thoughts enrich a society and make it vibrant and multicultural.

We believe that every person, especially young people, is called upon to make a civic commitment to reducing inequalities and for a more sustainable and inclusive Europe.

We believe in the living practice of Democracy: actively co-shaping a colorful, vibrant community life that builds bridges, strengthens civic cohesion and creates hope for a better future.

Personnel 20.000,00
Travel and accommodation 10.000,00
Production 10.000,00
Communication & Evaluation 10.000,00
Social Garden: 10.000,00

It’s a complex and vibrant idea that brings together tradition and innovation, lands and digital, to encourage and train the civic engagement of young people to help create a greener European democracy, with fewer walls and more bridges special during aftershocks covid19.