Project

RETI: Reactivation – Empowerment – Territory – Innovation to combat poverty and social exclusion

Citizen participation
Educational poverty
Response and Recovery
Welfare community
Women's economic empowerment

Partner

Stakeholders

Comunità Montana del Velino, Ambiti Territoriali Sociali 16 17 e 18

Objective of the project

We aim to contribute to the prevention and mitigation of socio-economic poverty among people living in the areas of Marche and Lazio most affected by the 2016 earthquake, with particular attention to women and economically and socially vulnerable youth, including NEETs.

Abstract of the project

The project involves strengthening the provision of local services, improving their accessibility (through a mobile and home-based proximity service) to identify and address the needs of the most excluded and vulnerable individuals. They will be directed to specific identified services (e.g., assistance organizations for food distribution, counseling centers, social services, cafeterias, job centers, etc.) or engaged in professional training programs to help them re-enter the job market. Simultaneously, existing entrepreneurial initiatives (social cooperatives and startups) will be supported to become more solid and serve as points of reference for local communities, providing employment opportunities and socio-economic development. The project will also promote a range of recreational and community-building activities essential in geographically isolated areas with limited access to services in order to strengthen social bonds and community cooperation.

Context analysis

The project will be implemented in the areas most affected, both in terms of infrastructure and social impact, by the 2016 Central Italy earthquake. It is a predominantly mountainous and geographically extensive area characterized by fragmentation and a spatial organization based on small “minor centers” that often cannot provide good access to essential basic services such as healthcare, education, and transportation. The area also has limited digital infrastructure and road networks, as well as public transportation services. The earthquake exacerbated pre-existing socio-economic marginalization, leading to depopulation, increased poverty, and daily life precarity, significantly deteriorating the quality of life. It also created new challenges, especially in the psychosocial sphere. These vulnerabilities affect various age groups but have a more negative impact on young people between 11 and 18. This age is particularly critical as a personal perspective on the future is developed and it influences the motivation that drives young individuals to continue their education and enter the workforce.

Camerino, Province of Macerata, Italy

Valfornace, Province of Macerata, Italy

Pieve Torina, Province of Macerata, Italy

Muccia, Province of Macerata, Italy

Castelsantangelo sul Nera, Province of Macerata, Italy

Visso, Province of Macerata, Italy

Ussita, Province of Macerata, Italy

Arquata del Tronto, Province of Ascoli Piceno, Italy

Cittareale, Province of Rieti, Italy

Posta, Rieti, Italy

Borbona, Province of Rieti, Italy

Amatrice, Province of Rieti, Italy

Accumoli, Province of Rieti, Italy

The project is implemented in the following areas affected by the 2016 earthquake: Accumoli, Amatrice, Borbona, Posta, Cittareale (Lazio, province of Rieti); Arquata del Tronto (Marche, province of Ascoli Piceno); Ussita, Visso, Castelsantangelo sul Nera, Muccia, Pieve Torina, Valfornace, Camerino (Marche, province of Macerata)

Implementation Period

15/05/2023 - 15/05/2025

Beneficiaries

Direct

  • 200 socially and economically vulnerable individuals reached through proximity and support services
  • 100 individuals (residents and territorial service providers) involved in the analysis of needs and existing services.
  • 40 young people enrolled in training programs
  • 150 individuals (residents and territorial service providers) engaged in informative, training, aggregative, and community activities

Indirect

The entire population in the intervention areas

Project Strategy

Activities

  • Identification of specific needs of the beneficiaries through the activation of a proximity and person-centered support service, which is meant to work together with local territorial services.
  • Response to specific needs, including connecting beneficiaries with dedicated services on the intervention territory and providing personalized professional training through granting of “inclusion scholarships.”
  • Implementation of training programs for public and private social operators on specific topics such as NEETs, new forms of poverty, and gender inequalities.
  • Support for community cooperation experiences (social cooperatives, startups) that are already established or in the startup phase.
  • Support for community recreational activities to foster social cohesion.

Outputs

  • 40 inclusion scholarships awarded
  • 2 events organized in order to share the results of the participatory needs and services analysis
  • Production and distribution of one information kit on local services

Outcomes

  • Improved knowledge and accessibility of local welfare services (especially those aimed at preventing and combating poverty) for people living in situations of social and economic vulnerability in the communities most affected by the 2016 earthquake.
  • Identification of vulnerability situations with particular attention to young people, women, and NEETs, and activation of orientation and/or support pathways towards training opportunities and services available in the area.
  • Strengthening of the community’s socio-economic bonds through support for local initiatives of mutualism and community cooperation, as well as support for existing public and private services.

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