CAMINA is an acronym with the following meaning:

· Città = cities
· Am. amiche = friendly
· In. dell’infanzia e dell = of the infancy and of the
· Adolescenza = adolescence

CAMINA history

Begins in 1998 when Regional ANCI (National Association of Italian Municipalities) realized that a “project of intervention” on the theme of “cities that fit male and female kids’ needs” was necessary.
In 1999 ANCI, Castel San Pietro Terme and Ferrara’s Municipalities and the Studies Center “The Thousand Cities" give life to the Regional Center C.am.in.a.
CAMINA purpose is, from the very beginning, that one to collaborate with regions, district councils, municipalities and third field in promoting careful political accordingly to the city sustainability, to educative needs and to rights of citizenship of kids and boys.
From 2000 many Municipalities and Associations join CAMINA and many alliances born with the Order of the Journalists, the Regional Channel of the National Television, the Foundation of the Savings and Loan Company of Bologna and some other national Associations.
During the workshops organized by the centre, inter-sectorial workgroups have defined the topics on which CAMINA would have had to centralize and to develop its function of networking different associations and public entities at local level.
They decided that the main field of action of CAMINA will be the following:

- CITY
- INFANCY
- HUMAN RIGHTS
- SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
- PARTICIPATION

CAMINA mission is to develop an action of cultural promotion, communication, sharing of experiences and of capacities, exchange of best practices from different projects. These activities will contribute to the spreading out and increasing of competencies related to the planning, the implementation, the evaluation and the monitoring of the projects realized at local level.

The projects are made mainly in collaboration with other associations and with public entities, mostly municipalities of the Emilia-Romagna Region.

In 2001 CAMINA created a network of Municipalities and thematic workgroups; it realizes the website www.camina.it and it organized laboratories, seminaries and training courses aiming at offering education instruments (mainly non formal education) to answer positively to the children and adolescents needs.

From 2001 to 2003 CAMINA increases its activities through 4 fileds of action:

- TRAINING

- DOCUMENTATION

- ADVISING

- DIFFUSION OF INFORMATION

On 30th October 2004 CAMINA becomes a National Association according to one strongly demand of presence and greater link in the national territory.

TRAINING ACTIVITIES

Laboratories, seminaries and conventions are aiming offering efficient instruments to answer positively to the kids and the adolescent’s needs. These activities are made thanks to the study, the analysis of the best practices, the identification of quantitative and qualitative strengths, the valuation of contexts and effective and efficient methods of informal training.

DOCUMENTATION

In the CAMINA web site there is a database of all the implemented and on goiung projects made by member municipalities, in order to diffuse information and support the planning of new projects.

ADVISING

Through its multidisciplinary staff the center offers services of organizational and scientific advising, search, planning and other kinds of support to all those who are interested in the implementation of projects and initiatives aiming at improving the relationships and atmospheres of life at local level.

DIFFUSSION OF INFORMATION

The promotion of the knowledge about and the children human rights protection promotion is one of the main aims of the newsletter, the filling in of the documentation notebooks, and it is send something like an “electronic diary” by e-mail to each associate.