EUROPEAN PROJECTS

European project development is a strategic priority for Orizzonti. Participation in EU-funded programmes enables the cooperative to increase its European visibility, innovate its practices through exchange with international partners, and contribute Italian expertise to cross-national initiatives in the fields of social inclusion, education, youth and migration.

Active and Recent EU-Funded Projects

EDI-ForJuv – Digital Skills for Inclusion and Youth

Programme: Erasmus+ KA220 – Cooperation Partnerships in Youth Period: September 2024 – August 2026 Role: Partner

EDI-ForJuv aims to promote better educational and employment opportunities for 100 vulnerable young people in 5 countries through the enhancement of digital competencies. Orizzonti developed the digital course curriculum – combining digital content with peer-to-peer methodology – and delivers the Digital Tutoring Programme to 20 vulnerable young people in the Padova area. The project trains 25 digital tutors using a structured approach encompassing basic digital skills, cybersecurity and responsible use of Artificial Intelligence. Project code: 2024-1-ES02-KA220-YOU-000243345.

Partner countries: Spain (lead), Italy, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria

SOAVE – Support Network for the Resilience of Vulnerable Minors

Programme: AMIF / FAMI – Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund 2021–2027 Period: 2024 – ongoing Role: Lead organisation (capofila)

SOAVE is a ministerial and European project financed through the AMIF/FAMI 2021–2027 programme. Orizzonti is the lead organisation of a territorial public-private network providing qualified support to third-country national minors in conditions of psychosocial vulnerability. The project develops and strengthens integrated service systems for vulnerable migrant children, including transcultural psychological support (delivered through the Papalagi Centre), school inclusion activities and professional capacity-building for local practitioners.

Partner countries: Italy (Padova, Venice-Marghera, multi-site)

E-STEAM on the Cloud

Programme: Erasmus+ KA220 – Cooperation Partnerships in School Education Period: 2022 – 2023 Role: Partner

This project worked to increase gender equality in secondary and upper secondary STEAM education by developing innovative, interactive materials for teachers. Orizzonti was responsible for Output 2 – the Recommender System & Teacher’s Help Platform – which profiles user competency levels and recommends tailored content. Partners included Universitat Jaume I (Spain), European School of Brussels IV, and institutions from Romania and Lithuania.

Partner countries: Spain, Italy, Romania, Lithuania, Belgium

URBANUS – 19 artistic alliances to tackle social challenges.

Programme: Erasmus+ Project Period: 2021 – 2022 Role: Coordinator

The URBANUS-19 project aims to foster exchange amongst young people from the cities of Padua, Bergamo, Novo Mesto, Târgu Mureș and Berlin, using artistic resistance to address social inclusion in urban areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project, born from the ‘cubist idea’ of the Spanish playwright and drama therapy expert Domingo Ferrandis, seeks to promote contemporary artistic creation as a tool for participatory and intercultural dialogue, bringing together educational institutions and social, cultural and youth organisations. The aim is to enhance socialisation skills and resilience in the face of the COVID-19 crisis through the arts, proposing creative and innovative solutions to tackle unprecedented social challenges. The project will run for 24 months.

Partners: Associazione Girotondo (Italy), Fundatia Professional (Romania), DRPDNM (Slovenia), Euro-Med Youth Federation (Germany)

EMBRACING

Programme: AMIF / FAMI – Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund 2014–2020 Period: 2021 – 2022 Role: Partner

The project originated in the Municipality of Padua following a significant experience by Antonio Calò, who took six migrants into his own family, developing a scheme called “6+6×6”. This experience, which earned him the “European Citizen” award in 2018, was the starting point that led to the creation of a transnational network of local authorities which, by building on the value of grassroots initiatives, aim to foster and improve the integration of migrants.

The Embracin project was managed by the City of Padua in collaboration with Orizzonti and the Refugees Welcome association. In this initial phase, it consisted of a core network of four municipalities, supplemented by two further networks of municipalities from six different countries (Italy, Slovenia, Greece, Cyprus, Spain and Sweden).
The Italian network that was established aimed to raise awareness and strengthen expertise on integration policy issues, with the aim of increasing the number of local authorities and local stakeholders capable of implementing this process of spontaneous social innovation. Between October and December 2021, eight beneficiaries (six men and two women) were placed in the municipality of Padua, where they were hosted by seven families. The beneficiaries came from The Gambia, Mali, Peru, Syria, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The participants were involved in awareness-raising activities and initiatives to help them get to know the city, and a tailor-made Italian language course for the project, as well as an IT course, were organised.

Partners: Municipality of Padua; Refugees Welcome Padua