The Inclusive Park: a story of participation and inclusion in Ragusa within the T.R.A.P. project

This article tells the experience of six young people involved in the T.R.A.P. project - Everyone Claims Other Perspectives, at the territorial center activated in Ragusa. T.R.A.P. is a project selected by "Con i Bambini" within the Fund for Combating Juvenile Educational Poverty, aimed at minors under the jurisdiction of Juvenile Justice, their families, USMM operators, and social services.

The six youths from the Ragusa territorial center were part of the Youth Bank, designing and implementing one of the six micro-projects selected and supported by the Youth Bank through a call aimed at creating a direct impact on the Sicilian territory.

Their work, called "The Inclusive Park," aimed to redevelop and enhance a small abandoned park in the city of Ragusa, turning it into a meeting place for young people and a play area for children in a more inclusive context. The idea originated entirely from the six youths, with facilitation and support from the operators of the Fo.Co. Social Cooperative.

Upon completion of the project and the inauguration of the park, the operators asked the youths to recount all the phases of this adventure of active participation and social responsibility. Below is their story.

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“The project idea was realized in Ragusa, a city where meeting areas are often not easily accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities. The goal of our project was to enhance a green area of the city, making it a more inclusive context through the installation of a bench suitable for the disabled, colorful and specially made. Thanks to the project, the city of Ragusa ensured further attention to meeting and socializing for both adults and children. Last February 29, at Villa Santa Domenica in Ragusa, there was the inauguration, titled "A Bench for Everyone." The idea of the bench for the disabled was born from a participatory design activity that saw us youths as the main actors in the realization of the project, supported by the operators of the Fo.Co. cooperative, responsible for various active workshops. We took care of the writing, design, and graphics phase of the artifact, working alongside the craftsman who made it, entirely out of iron. The toughest challenges we encountered were during the ideation phase: there were many ideas, and finding a common ground together was not easy. In the end, after much discussion, we chose together to create the bench for the disabled as we realized that nothing like this existed in our green areas.

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The most significant aspect of this journey was certainly the synergy that was created between us and our operators, who guided us through this interesting journey. The best moment was undoubtedly the day of the inauguration. Seeing so many people around the covered bench, the curiosity of the institutions in getting to know us, and everyone's interest in this small gesture really made us feel "important." We received many compliments from many people, which made us proud to have been part of this journey. The best thing for us was having the opportunity to emerge and be at the center of attention for something significant for our territory. It will be nice to meet again, years from now, with our friends at the villa, look at the bench and remember that we created it."

If you want to continue following the activities of the T.R.A.P. project - Everyone Claims Other Perspectives, read the project sheet, and follow us on our social media channels Facebook and Instagram.

To participate or for more information, contact Daniela Avanzato at d.avanzato@fcagrigentotrapani.it