INVOLVE! PROJECT

Presentation of the Italian local project

Title

Local interactive exhibition on human rights: Direct to rights (Diretto ai diritti)

Location

Ferrara (Italy)

- Casa di stella dell’Assassino (city centre)

- Porotto (small quarter near Ferrara)

- Local schools

Context of local project

The project has been developed thanks to a long path followed in the previous years by the Arciragazzi Association in collaboration with CAMINA. Since almost five years, the operators of both the associations worked a local level for the promotion of children human rights in the schools. In particular they organised workshops and informal education activities addressed to improve the knowledge on the International Chart on Human Rights and in the promotion of the rights and statement defined by the chart.

The schools that have been involved in this process were very interested in the subject and in the material produced. The experts decided hence to collect all the experiences and the bets practices developed during the last few years and show to all the citizens how the human rights education can be developed by an exhibition.

Moreover, they developed, in collaboration with local authorities a participatory process for the promotion of the participation right by local forums composed by youths and children. These forums had as main goal the definition of requests to local authorities for the definition of policies linked to youths needs.

Ferrara is a small city were the local association are eager to foster local youth participation to civil society and the municipality and the actors involved in the policies decision making process are disposable to collaborate with youths.

During the last few years, local association started also to participate to international projects within the issue of human rights promotion and education, as for example training courses financed by the Council of Europe and the European Commission and international youths exchanges.

Organisations involved

- CAMINA

- Arciragazzi Ferrara (youths association)

- L’Urlo (youths centre managed and organised directly by youths)

With the collaboration of:

- Ferrara Municipality – Department for youth policies

- Ferrara Province – Department for Environmental protection and international cooperation

Short description of the project

The exhibition “Direct to rights” follows the main steps of a education path on human rights made through games and informal activities where the youths are the main actors. The exhibition structure is organised in a flexible way and the materials could be transported and adapted to different location and contexts and easily installed following an instructions manual.

The project has been developed with workshops and informal training activities with 5 classes and teachers in secondary schools in the Ferrara municipality and with the collaboration of the youth centre L’Urlo under the coordination of the experts from Arciragazzi and in collaboration with CAMINA.

The project has been partially financed by the Council of Europe and started its activities in December 2004. After that initial period of training of the operators of Arciragazzi by other experts, they have transferred they capacities of education in the classes and they have developed the exhibition materials with the students.

At the final stage of the project, in April and May 2005, all the materials has been re-elaborated and organised as to define and install the exhibition.

Aims/ objectives

The project objectives could be divided in two sectors, one related to the impacts on beneficiaries of the exhibition (youths aged between 12 and 18 years) and the other related to the Association

Ü Objectives of the beneficiaries

The main aim of the project is improve and promote the knowledge on the following topics:

· International Convention on Human Rights

· Human rights history and development

· Main aspects of human rights field

· Improve the participation of youth to local initiatives and civil society

Ü Objectives of the Association

· Improve the knowledge of the operators on human rights education

· Disseminate the main contents and educative aspects of the convention on human rights also to other association at local and at international level

· Promote local activities and the main field of intervention of the CAMINA and Arciragazzi associations

· Enhance the partnership and the opportunities of collaboration between local associations and public entities.

Activities and Time table

Results, state of affairs

During the exhibition installation, it has been visited in 3 days from 12 classes and the teachers have been very interested in the issues analysed and in the promotion of HR education. The objectives of diffuse information on HR and promote the Declaration principles has been disseminate and improved.

The association now is addressing its activities in order to disseminate information regarding the exhibition and they would like to install it in other places, schools, municipalities not only in Ferrara but also outside the city. Moreover we are looking for future opportunities of fund raising.

Moreover, the Ferrara Municipality is available to define an agreement with the schools in the province in order to install the exhibition in different period in different locations.

The effects and the impacts will be available probably in the following months in the new education year of the school (2005-2006).

Responsible persons, contact

Ms. Anna Baldoni

a.baldoni@camina.it

tel. +39 0532 2419314

Resources, Co-financing

- EYF – Council of Europe

- Voluntary work of the operators

- Ferrara Municipality – Department for youth policies

- Ferrara Province – Department for Environmental protection and international cooperation

Photo gallery

Map of the exhibition: each room is addressed to explain a specific topic.