Famiglia Aperta

Open Family is an association without any profit targets. It was created the 3rd of December 1986 and it is inscribed in the “Regional Register of the volunteer work” and in the “ Free associations register of the Town Hall of Bologna”. It became an O.N.L.U.S. from the 1st of January 1998.
The association was created by people who, drawing inspiration and strength from evangelic principles, created a little community in order to work for less- favoured children in a uneasy situation. The association is open to voluntaries of any religion and culture in respect to the fundamental values of the human being.
The members’ house and the education centre is situated nearby headquarters of the association that is in Via Zanardi 317/2, but some projects are realised in external places as well.

SOCIAL EDUCATION PROJECT

The daily education project, started from 1994, is turned towards 8 children of the secondary school between 11 – 15 years old. Students of the first years of the high school are helped as well in rooms provided by the church of Sant’Ignazio Martire.
According to the rules, the children are accepted from the beginning of each school year considering the indications of the social services and the service “Parents and Childhood” of the district. They all have familiar, social and cultural more or less important problems.
The children attend the activities in Famiglia Aperta for 5 afternoons per week from 1,30 p.m. to 5,30 p.m. during all the school year. Each afternoon is based on three fundamental moments: lunch, homework and extra scholastic activities. Periodically, trips for the week end are realised as well. During the holidays, besides the going over of the lessons, other activities, trips and journeys in other cities are organised.
The volunteers are: Italian and foreign volunteers of different ages, (an overage of 5 people each day), conscientious objector from Caritas (nowadays they are becoming fewer and fewer), students of the University of Bologna who are preparing themselves for the teaching practice.

CUSTODY

From 1992 the association, with particular interest of the members, acted in the branch of the custody (an intervention of help to a child or to a younger who comes from a family where presents have difficulties, momentarily they are not able to take care of the child , of his/her education and his/her material and affective needs). In the first phase of this activity young people were accepted for more or less long periods: three years and half, one year and half, one year, some months and even some weeks in case of emergence.
From 1998 a new project of custody for children from 0 to 6 years old and/or abandoned began. Some families that are not resident in Bologna take part to the project as well. So far they sustained five short custody of babies waiting for a real custody.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

In the last years, the association Open Family, has elaborated new projects in order to answer in detail to the needs of the children of the district.
Particularly we have to mention:
a) the project “Oggi per Domani ” (today for tomorrow) which concretely works with boys and girls who attended in the past Open Family daily education group in order to pass with them a part of their free time helping then to create projects for the future;
b) the project “Preadolescenza tra disagio e risorsa” (pre-adolescence between problems and resources), which, starting from the seminary of November 2001 realised by the association for its 15 years of activities, proposes to realise the following targets: to realise a reading of the needs of the pre-adolescence that should be deeper and with more continuity; to promote opportunities of meeting, of exchange, of training, of projecting shared with educators, parents, technicians, administrators.
c) The project “La Fabbrica delle Opportunità” (the factory of opportunities) which, trough “the Fa.R.O.” and the projects of handicraft, proposes to create a place of meeting and confrontation for the young people from the district Lame, giving to the younger who ended the schools and who live in a situation of social difficulties a physic-pedagogic support for the orientation in the job world;
d) the laboratories of transition to job (catering and tailor’s works), which can offer the young people the opportunity to reach personal and relational abilities and professional prospective for the future.

INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONSHIP

For the development of its activities the organisation works in co-operation with:
• the service “Parents and childhood” of the Town Hall of Bologna, for the daily education project as well as for the custody in cases of emergency,
• the University of Bologna, Department of Science of Education, for the students’ apprenticeship,
• the “Caritas Diocesana” for the conscientious objectors’ service,
• the European Community for the European Voluntary service, according to the youth programme,

The association participates also to some organisms of co-ordination of the voluntary jobs:
• the council of the “Family Associations” of the Town Hall of Bologna,
• the co-ordination for the custody,
• the co-ordination of the “Voluntary job associations” of the Lame district, composed by 15 associations of the district, which created the project “Giovani Insieme” (young together), realised for the youth of the district and for the project “Un Villaggio per Educare” (a village for the education)as well.

Moreover, the association collaborates as well with:
• the technical and commercial high school “Rosa Luxemburg” of Bologna for students’ credits and for the organisation of foreign exchange,
• the Arts Academy of Bologna for the apprenticeship of some students,
• the social service of the Court of minors of Bologna.

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