Sunday 31 July marked the end of the summer camps for the boys and girls of Licata organised as part of the Drop-in project.
The Drop-in project was selected by Con i Bambini within the framework of the Youth Educational Poverty Fund. Its main objective is to support teenagers’ transition to adult life and inspire them to create their personal life project. The Drop-in project also helped restore and promote two spaces where teenagers can gather safely and engage in reacreational and educational activities in Licata and Marsala.
Over the past few days, 120 kids- ‘i piccoli abitanti’- together with about 40 teens who guided the little ones throughout, learnt about the importance of being part of a “community” by engaging in activities and games designed especially for them in collaboration with the Azione Cattolica S.G.M.Tomasi of Licata and the Fondazione di Comunità.
“Summer is the time when social inequalities are most exacerbated, especially amongst children, because schools are closed,” says Mr Giuseppe La Rocca, head of the Community Foundation.
“Well-off families provide their children with the best educational and recreational activities during summer but unfortunately, not everyone can afford to participate.
That’s why we decided to step in and offer equal opportunities to the less fortunate ones, especially post-pandemic when it is pivotal for kids to learn and play in a relaxed and informal environment that stumalates personal growth.’
In the outskirt of Licata, in the Fondachello Playa area you can find St. Joseph Mary Tomasy Church, place where our summer camps took place. In this area, the need for a constant attention towards young people is particulatly important in order to tackle issues like school drop out and criminality and increase citiziens active partecipation in social life.
The Drop-in project is co-financed by Fondazione Peppino Vismara and La Grande Casa Società Cooperativa Sociale (MI).