Garda’s €25M Open Center Summer Program for Children and Youth
Twenty-five million euros have been allocated to provide recreational activities for children during the summer. This is the financial commitment of the «Open Center» project, which involves collaboration between the Comune di Garda and the ASL 22 during July and August, to offer meeting opportunities for young people.
A dedicated space will be created where children can spend their summer in an environment of play and fun. An important goal, especially considering that many families in Garda have both parents busy throughout the tourist season.
Goals and Methods of the Project
«Given the particular characteristics of the territory during the summer, when the population is usually engaged professionally in the tourism sector», writes Barbara Tomellini, educator at ASL 22, in her report sent to the Comune di Garda, «it is deemed essential to propose a service that covers the months of July and August to entertain children with organized activities».
The words of Sindaco Giorgio Comencini confirm this idea: «The initiative», says the mayor, «fits within our youth center project, aimed at young people in terms of time and space, while also providing support to parents engaged in work».
The «Open Center» project is aimed roughly at children and adolescents aged between three and 14 years.
Activities and Available Spaces
The goal is to offer a protected area with a recreational-educational character, where children can meet, grow, study, and plan. Educators also intend to «stimulate creativity through the acquisition of new expressive and manual techniques», and «offer opportunities to use leisure time as a moment of cultural growth».
The available spaces include two classrooms at middle schools, previously used for the youth center activities, as well as the gymnasium and changing rooms of the same school. All of this is made available by the principal of the Istituto Comprensivo di Garda, Franco Zeni.
Care of the children will be overseen by the educator of the Territorial Educational Service, six operators, and two conscripts from the Garda municipality.
Planned Activities
What activities are planned for the «Open Center»? First of all, there will be play, because «this approach aims to enhance expressive skills by proposing various types of games depending on age groups», as states the educator.
Manual, musical, athletic, and artistic workshops will also be organized, aiming to promote both the acquisition of techniques and knowledge and socialization among children.
There will also be a space called «Let’s Study Together», designed to help children with their holiday homework, with support from staff.
For the younger children, i.e., preschoolers and students in the first two grades of elementary school, a psychomotor service will be offered, always using play as a tool.
In addition, the project includes excursions around the territory to foster knowledge and deepen understanding of the local environmental resources.
Angelo Peretti