ESC: Community building

The social cooperative Il Faro was born with a very specific mission to offer opportunities to women and young people from contexts of socio-cultural and economic disadvantage or from situations of family violence. Its goals are based on the belief that every person in difficulty can achieve true social inclusion only if two essential conditions are presented to them: opportunities for different life experiences, and interpersonal connections that develop meaningful relationships. Based on this principle, the social cooperative Il Faro develops projects that guarantee these opportunities. Since 2016, the cooperative has been managing a refuge for pregnant women and mothers with children, promoting women's empowerment and enhancing resilience factors in both mothers and children. It also manages numerous projects aimed at young people, with particular reference to boys and girls in a state of vulnerability because of social and family life contexts and experiences. Since 2018 it has managed a social anti-mafia project that guarantees young people from contexts of delinquency the possibility to experience different life opportunities, through non-formal and informal methodologies. Artistic activities are among the main methodologies used; in fact, there are numerous workers active in the use of art as a factor of resilience (painting, glass fusion, ceramics, etc.). Since 2017 the cooperative has participated in Erasmus+ projects both as applicant and as partner, managing mobility activities both in the adult education sector and in the youth sector. Il Faro considers the exchange and the possibility of getting to know other cultures, organisational realities and methodologies to be a very important enhancement factor both for its staff and for the women, young people and children in reception. Currently the cooperative is engaged in an ambitious project called "La Fabbrica del Farò", for which a large ex-factory located in a naturalistic setting was purchased, in an area of community interest a few kilometres from the Torre Guaceto nature reserve. This economic and emotional investment arose from the need to take action on non-formal training processes that can represent learning opportunities across a wider range of levels and sectors. The project provides for the creation of an artistic / craft laboratory with its own gallery, the implementation of a social bar / bistro, and spaces dedicated to culture, co-working and the performing arts (the latter in collaboration with another cooperative social network that collaborates with ours and that has installed its own circus tent in the area in front of our structure). This site is surrounded by four hectares of land where social gardens and nature trails will be activated.