The project has its roots in a territory where organized crime controls people's lives, offering itself as an alternative capable of promoting a process of guidance for the community aimed at the re-appropriation of a seized good, leading to the autonomy in meeting social and local needs. The approach, already applied by Needle, is now replicated in a rural context to expand its scope of action to agrarian communities with limited opportunities for constructive discussion and socialization.

Pugliano di Teano (CE), Campania, South Italy

Challenges: social and cultural marginalisation of the community; absence of common areas to experience daily life and establish a positive intergenerational dialogue. Solution: through the regeneration of the seized good A. Landieri, which will be used as multipurpose space for sport activities, exhibitions, cultural\educational events and workshops, trade fairs of local farmers. The key point of the action lies in the approach of the project, realized for the citizens but above all with the citizens, which will be active part of the design and realization of the space. The action has also the advantage to build a community aware of the power of culture and legality, spreading good practices, fostering a virtuous circle of empowering,awareness and participation, especially of the youths

The project is addressed to the main target group of Pugliano citizens, which will take full advantage of the good. The second target group includes population (scholars, scout groups, Libera local branch) of Teano, the nearest city centre and the population of surrounding villages, used to take part in pathways to recovery and social reintegration hosted both at the co-housing group of cooperative La Strada and at the consortium members‘ premises. Thanks to the renovation, the good will be eligible to host scout groups and young volunteers of the E!State Liberi!, a summer work camps on seized goods supported by “Libera”, widening the scope of the beneficiaries belonging to the second target groups to youth coming from other parts of Italy

Step(S) 1.Definition of the Needs
Needle and La Strada will arrange debates, collective mapping sessions, and surveys to research further into communities’ needs and, together, identify possible solutions. Expected Outcome (EO): to develop an open participatory process that will lead to a shared project/vision of rural regeneration. Method for progress evaluation (MPE): surveys\report analysis\focus group
S2–Building up the idea
NCO will schedule a cycle of seminars, lectures and workshops on the topic of the reuse of assets and spaces used for Mafia criminal scopes. EO: spread knowledge on good practices and stimulate communities in being active in the re-appropriation of those kinds of spaces, to use them as new social and economic support hubs. MPE: surveys\report analysis
S3–Implementation/sustainability
Implementing woodworking seminars and trees planting actions to regenerate the space with the community, aware of the good practices acknowledged and tools developed. Activation of a monitoring desk to guarantee a correct plan of activities and management, scheduling recurring meetings to gather feedbacks from users\stakeholders. EO:a new,functional space; development of new ideas that will lead to the redevelopment of the property in human-centred key. MPE:Brainstorming\focus groups
Etiket will coordinate the communication and dissemination through all the phases

The project’s main goal is making the local community aware about the potentialities of reuse of confiscated assets and about the creation of a space co-built and co-managed as a place for socialization, training and dialogue both for the local community and for the external users willing to be part of the process of economic and social requalification. The project will be a pilot scheme able to drive other bodies (public or private) toward the redevelopment of processes aimed at improving the management of confiscated assets (or just part of them) and their final use. Thanks to their features, these kind of goods have indeed more potential if used for people and social purposes compared to a mere reuse for productive activities.

The community will be involved in a project aimed at satisfying inefficiencies coming from state’s bad management of public local resources as a consequence of the presence of criminal organizations. The lack of basic services (sport\leisure infrastructure, extra schools’ activities, social support services, cultural spaces, inclusion programmes) and the need to satisfy them through a process based on participation in the decision making of the change realization, will be able to raise awareness about the power of lawful and democratic communities. The spread of good practices of active citizenship and their positive impact on the territory, is capable of improving the people’s collaboration with the governance and their trust in institutions, without need to rely on Mafia’s support.

The team holds a solid academic background, relevant experience and knowledge of the Regional and local circumstances and complexity. The different features have been combined to contribute to the development of internal areas, more susceptible to Mafia influence due to the lack of services and state’s support. The mission is to build an inclusive community based on the values of legality, active citizenship and participation. The team includes representatives of the consortium’s partners (Fabio De Gemmis Di Castel Foce -La Strada; Simmaco Perillo - "NCO", Umberto De Santics – Etiket), experts in: participatory processes (Feliciano Napoletano), urban planning and regeneration (Saverio Sodano and Salvatore Diana), EU funded projects in the Education sector (Giulia Buccino).

Personnel costs: 12000€
Travel and logistic: 2000€
Communication and dissemination: 3,500€
Project management and administration: 5,000€
Social reuse seminar\workshop cycles 3000 €
Materials cost (infographics; self-construction materials; plants): 9500 €

Any food for though is welcome, especially innovative approaches for youth and elderly engagement and for the improvement of active citizenship in complex conditions. As we believe in the importance of positive experiences’ replicability, every suggestion on this issue is also highly appreciated.