Starting from September 2015, members of the social cooperative Itaca benefited from a series of mobility activities delivered within the project Let’s Move to Improve, funded by the Erasmus+ programme. Specific aim of the project was to improve professional skills of social workers and operators working with persons with disabilities and dementia through the participation in training courses and exchange of best practices.
In a more and more penalized territorial contexts, Itaca constantly looks for national and international initiatives that can offer innovative solutions and ensure higher quality of services. Following this idea, in March 2015, the Itaca Training Office in collaboration with the European Projects office decided to present Let’s Move to Improve. This project was definitely an opportunity for professional and personal growth.
The first mobility was organized in March 2016 in collaboration with DemenzForumDarmstadt e.V., an association that was funded in 2000 with the support of the Municipality of Darmstadt; DemenzForum Darmstadt is specialized in delivering services to the person and manages several elderly care facilities. Our delegates were able to visit day centers and residences for senior citizens and participated in a dedicated training course.
The second mobility called “Building a Real Community – intergenerational living and housing” was held in June 2016 and focused on the study of innovative models of community life in collaboration with the German association Solar e.V. Participants visited co-housing accommodations, talked to residents and shared their experiences.
The third mobility “Including everyone – creative and participatory method-training for working with different age groups” took place in November 2016 and involved the participation of 10 Itaca’s workers coming from the Minors area. The training was organized in cooperation with the local partner Obuk e.V. and focused on the discovery of new pedagogical methods that aim at preventing discriminatory events and social exclusion. The strategies used involved participatory methods with groups of people with different ages and different economic and cultural backgrounds. Activities included local visits and discussion sessions where it was possible to debate on issues such as racism and environment.
