Sports as a Tool for Social Redemption
THE PROJECT
The project, being implemented in Bari, Catania, Naples, and Palermo, aims to enrich the rehabilitation pathways for young people involved in criminal circuits by providing sports education and vocational guidance for their social reintegration. At the same time, for the youth, it represents an experience of growth, exploration, and guidance for their life path.
The project involves the active participation of the Social Services for Minors Offices (USSM), which have selected and will continue to identify young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who will be offered the opportunity to undertake a dual path.
The first path, that of sports education, allows the youth to engage in real training sessions during which they not only have the opportunity to participate in sports but also to interact with their peers, manage playing spaces together, learn values such as respect for others, sharing, altruism, and teamwork. All activities are coordinated by a team of specialized sports technicians to ensure adequate involvement of the youth in both sports activities and socialization. The activities take place in quality sports centers identified in the four project locations, allowing the youth to discover new spaces and integrate into new realities through their passion for sports.
Simultaneously, the project also includes the initiation of a vocational guidance pathway, where each participant will be personally guided by experts in the world of work to assess their skills and start a path towards employment inclusion. Companies, sports centers, and local amateur sports clubs will be involved, coaching courses will be organized, and following the orientation phase, in 2024, two beneficiaries per location will be placed in an internship program for their first work experience, with the provision of “work grants” to provide initial financial support to the young people involved.
THE PURPOSE
The project aims to offer growth opportunities for young people aspiring to reintegrate into social life through complementary and dedicated training activities. The project combines sports education and employment inclusion, translating into concrete opportunities to change the life perspective of young people undergoing probation and referred by social services.
BENEFICIARIES
120 young people between the ages of 16 and 24, referred by the Social Services for Minors Offices (USSM).
Fondazione Milan
Ministry of Justice
Fondazione Cassa Depositi e Prestiti