Does traveling change us?
It was raining cats and dogs on the 2nd December 2017, we were standing close to the window of Bottega di Libera where the final event of TEDDIP’ Europe project had to take place.
Luckily, we didn’t have to wait for too long. The rain didn’t scare those who strongly care about inclusion, who believe in the potential of mobility and travelling and those who wanted to know more about the results of the project.
The project connected us with the local organisations Il Canto di Los and Volta la Carta, its educators and young patients who for almost 2 years have been travelling through the project activities.
Luckily, we didn’t have to wait for too long. The rain didn’t scare those who strongly care about inclusion, who believe in the potential of mobility and travelling and those who wanted to know more about the results of the project.
Mobility for the inclusion, final TEDDIP’ Europe event brought together representatives of local organisations, psychologists, educators, social workers and activists, support teachers, youth and their parents to share experiences, discuss about the state of deinstitutionalisation of support structures for youth with intellectual disabilities in Italy and other European countries, reflect on the importance of mobility and travelling as opportunities for socialization, sharing and inclusion.
The project TEDDIP’Europe, which is at the final phase, is aimed to help to ingrate minors with an intellectual disability into the community-based support structures in line with the Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe CM/Rec (2010) 2 to member states on deinstitutionalisation and community living of children with disabilities.
The core activities of the project were 5 mobilities: mobility of educators and mobility of TEDDIP youth.
How often do young TEDDIP have a chance to participate in mobility activities? Probably that happens not too often.
When young TEDDIP travel abroad for the first time without their parents, when they see different realities, when, automatically, they are empowered to take more care of themselves and of their colleagues, that is when inclusion, socialization and deinstitutionalisation happens.
Since TEDDIP mobility for not usual, and because travelling expands horizons and fosters inclusion, during the TEDDIP event experiences shared our colleagues working in the field of travel and inclusion, ethical and social tourism. Together with AddioPizzo Travel, Eterotopia, Sguardi Urbani and Moltivolti Capovolti we tried to answer to the question: “Does travelling change us?” and how mobility can change our perspectives towards the inclusion.
At the conclusion of the event and because we wanted TEDDIP event to be as unique and inclusive as possible, we asked Cooperativa Symposium to think of refreshments. Symposium is a social cooperative, which was born as part of a project aimed at the socio-occupational and professional integration of young people in a condition of social distress, promoting the psycho-social recovery of the people involved (young TEDDIP and young people with fewer opportunities) through this small social enterprise for the preparation of catering.
If we want to promote deinstitutionalization of the support structures for young TEDDIP, as the first step we have to allow them to participate equally in all initiatives and projects available at the European level.
Since mobility is one of the most effective tools to promote social inclusion and stimulate active citizenship, we have to let young TEDDIP to travel. Through interaction comes inclusion.
TEDDIP’ Europe is a two-year project co-financed by the Erasmus+ programme, Key Action 2 – Strategic partnerships in the field of Youth and brings together partners from 4 countries:
- IME “Al Casal”, Association Joseph Sauvy (France, coordinator);
- ALFMED Académie de langues France Meditérranée (France);
- Centre d’ educació especial Les aigües (Spain);
- Eppas (Czech Republic);
- CESIE (Italy).
For further information about the project, please contact Ruta Grigaliunaite.
