Municipality of Forlì Italy An Overview Building Solidarity in Communities 3 rd transnational meeting Cieszanòw 27 June – 1 July 2012.

Municipality of ForlìItaly

An Overview

Building Solidarity in Communities3rd transnational meetingCieszanòw 27 June – 1 July 2012

Building Solidarity in Communities

Forlì ◦ Situated in the north of Italy, in the Emilia – Romagna region◦ Capital of the Province Forlì – Cesena◦ About 117.000 inhabitants◦ 3 City Districts◦ Neighbourhoods

◦ Forlì is a branch of the University of Bologna with the Faculties of Economy, Mechanical and Space Engineering, Political Sciences and the Advanced School in Modern Languages for Interpreters and Translators.

◦ Forlì is only a few kilometres far from the Riviera Adriatica, with its famous tourist centres, the cities of Ravenna, Bologna and Florence (about 100 Km).

◦ The productive structure of the territory, mainly based on SME and artisans operating in various fields, is distinguished by widespread enterpreneurship and a high number of cooperatives

◦ Main sectors: mechanics, nautical, upholstered furniture, services and commerce.

Forlì and the European Union

Forlì has friendships, twinningships and collaborations with the Cities of Bourges (F), Karlsruhe (D), Peterborough (GB), Aveiro (P), Plock (PL), Szolnok (H), Skövde (S), Elektrenai (LT).

Forlì is also involved in development cooperation projects in Saharawi (western Sahara), in Palestine, Somalia and in the western Balkans.

The Municipality participates in international networks, in fact it is one of the promotors of the international network “Women” which joins more than 40 administrations and female associations from different countries of the Mediterranean area and it is promoting partner of SERN (Sweden and Emilia-Romagna Network).

The City of Forlì manages several European Projects, financed under the following Programmes: e.g Town Twinning, IPA, SEE, Interreg 4 C. These projects are focused on social policies, environmental issues and culture.

Role of the Municipality

Represents the local community and promotes the cultural, civil, social and economic development of its citizens

City Bylaws provide for various Participatory Bodies giving voice to citizens and according to the subsidiarity principles.

Social policy priority areas of intervention are the following: Family, Adults, Elderly, Childhood, Disabled people, Equal Opportunity and Housing

In particular the Elderly Service of The Municipality actively promotes the health of its ageing population through policies aimed at:

- Enabling elderly people to be more active - Widening the network of support services at home

In 2009: first in Italy for life quality and well – being

Role of the City Districts:

City Districts (Circoscrizioni) are participating bodies. They manage basic services and contribute to the local decision-making policy.

They are coordinated by a President and a Council composed by 20 members.  City Districts promote citizen participation in local governance.  With the involvement of neighbourhood boards the city districts manage basic services such as:

◦ Libraries and youth centres

◦ Senior and social centres

◦ Small public work, maintenance and greenery

Role of the Neighbourhoods

-Set up by the each City District under the coordination of the City Council

-They act as advisory body for the City Districts and the City Council itself

-Their competences are basically on social, economic, cultural matters

-They can receive complaints and suggestions from citizens

Associationalism is a political project where "human welfare and liberty are

both best served when as many of the affairs of a society as possible are managed by voluntary and democratically self-governing associations.“

Associationalism gives priority to freedom in its scale of values, but it contends that such freedom can only be pursued effectively if individuals join with their fellows

They effectively act as a tool to guarantee the so-called “Grassroots democracy”: a tendency towards designing political processes where as much decision-making authority as practical is shifted to the organization's lowest geographic level of organization

Participating to Local Government: Subsidiarity is an organizing principle stating that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest, or least centralized competent authority.

City Council

City Disctricts

Neighbourhood Boards

Associations

Citizens

Building Solidarity through a Shared Target

The basic question is:

“What does a community need in order to be considered a community?”

We believe that Associationalism along with Participatory Bodies at institutional level are the main instruments to involve different generation in working together towards a common goal.

Examples and Best Practices

Villafranca Neighbourhood:

- Has organised round table with citizens on common projects:

- Self restoring of an ancient building- Rational use of common community resources: time and knowledge

- Set up of a time bank- Specific services: shopping , car sharing….

- Organization of Public library

- Set up of the Association “Farmer’s friends”

- Knowledge sharing between generations

- Promotion of local products

- Teaching Farms

Examples and Best Practices

Social Centre “Primavera”

- one of the biggest in Italy- affiliated to Ancescao (a national umbrella organizations aiming at coordinating and

promoting the self management of “Social Centre”, promoting peace, protecting environment and improving quality of life)

- 840 members- Located in the Neighbourhood “Ca’ Ossi” in the 2° City District

Activities:

- Holiday for Elderly (a Municipal Service managed through a protocol by 5 different Association)

- Social Orchards - Dance and Cooking Classes- Lectures and Conferences- Shopping for not autonomous people- Train your Memory- Foreign Language Classes- Evening Walks, Tattoo and Piercing Party- …and much more…….

Examples and best practices

Association “Il Delfino”

- promotes cultural, social and civil development of its members- promotes volunteerims and solidarity- promotes social inclusion

Main activities:

- Painting classe- Foreign Languages - Conferences on Health and Quality of Life- Lectures on Local History - Seminars on orchards management- Travels- …..and much more.

In the field of Building Solidarity it is worth to mention following initiatives:- “A window on the neighbourhood”: elderly explains old flavours and tools- “Neighbour’s party”

Example and best practices

Association “Due Tigli”

- 400 members (40% women)- Participates to the EU Project “SOCIABLE”

- Main Activities along with other groups:- Speleology- Astronomy- Diving- Conferences on Health- Bowling

Thank you