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Europa in connessione: Un viaggio tra uomo, natura e civiltà europea

2024-2-IT03-KA155-YOU-0002827592024Discover EU inclusion actionfinalizedGood practice
Countries: IT · Grant: €11,569.75

Objectives

The project "Europa in Connessione: Un viaggio tra uomo, natura e civiltà europea" was born from an analysis of the local socio-economic reality of the Amalfi Coast and Cilento. Although these territories are well-known tourist destinations rich in cultural and natural beauty, they often hide pockets of significant social fragility and geographical isolation. The primary objective was to provide five young people with "fewer opportunities"—specifically those facing economic, social, and geographical obstacles—the chance to experience a European educational journey that they would otherwise never have been able to access or afford. These participants belong to a demographic that is frequently excluded from global mobility. In their daily lives, the possibility of traveling across Europe is often perceived as an unreachable luxury. Many of them lack the financial resources, family support, or digital autonomy required to navigate complex programs like DiscoverEU independently. Our goal was to bridge this gap, asserting that European citizenship and the right to mobility must be accessible to everyone, regardless of their starting point. We aimed to transform their "vulnerability" into a source of strength, using the journey as a tool for radical personal empowerment and social inclusion. A fundamental pillar of this project’s background was the specific geographical isolation of the participants' home regions. The inland areas of the Amalfi Coast and Cilento suffer from a chronic lack of efficient public infrastructure. For many of these young people, simply reaching a major railway hub requires hours of travel on inadequate local transport. This physical isolation often translates into a "mental confinement"; when it is difficult even to move between neighboring municipalities, the idea of crossing several European countries by train seems like an impossible feat. The objective of the project was to break this sense of isolation. By guiding them from their small municipalities (with populations under 5,000) toward the heart of Europe, we aimed to demonstrate that geographical barriers can be overcome through the support of Erasmus projects, the planning they provide, and European cooperation. We sought to shift their perspective from being residents of an isolated periphery to being mobile, connected citizens of a borderless continent. The project focused heavily on the development of practical life skills through the methodology of non-formal learning. For most participants, this represented their first experience with long-distance rail travel, as their previous mobility was limited to short regional trips. We involved them directly in managing the logistics: from understanding the complex Interrail system (including managing reservations and the app) to managing a shared daily budget. These were not merely logistical tasks, but core educational objectives designed to enhance problem-solving, adaptability, and self-reliance. The challenge of navigating foreign environments and managing unexpected travel changes was key to building a robust sense of self-confidence to bring back into their professional and personal lives. The thematic heart of the project was the exploration of the relationship between humanity and nature through the lens of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and MAB (Man and the Biosphere) Reserves. This included a visit to the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris; the European institutions (European Commission in Brussels, European Parliament in Strasbourg); and visits to historic universities such as Leuven in Belgium and Girona in Spain. We aimed to provide the participants with a "living classroom" to: Analyze Management Models: Observe virtuous examples of how historical and natural sites are preserved while remaining functional for modern society (such as the visit to the futuristic Vauban district in Freiburg). Sustainable Tourism Management: Understand the strategies used to mitigate the negative impacts of mass tourism— a theme extremely relevant to their home reality in the Amalfi Coast. Environmental Defense: Observe firsthand how different European territories are tackling the climate crisis and protecting biodiversity (such as the in-depth visit to Paris, which is revolutionizing its approach to urban green spaces). The goal was to move beyond a "tourist" perspective and adopt an "observer" mindset, encouraging them to compare environmental strategies abroad with those needed in their own land.

Project partners (1)