Culture can promote social
inclusion, solidarity and new professions through the passion
and concrete vision of young entrepreneurs, according to the
Unipolis Foundation.
The foundation has selected six projects that attained such
an objective from a tender notice for entrepreneurs aged under
35 called 'Culturability - spaces of social innovation'.
The initiative, which has reached its second edition, was
dedicated to the theme of urban renewal through socially and
culturally meaningful projects and was discussed Tuesday in Rome
at a meeting on "Culture, creativity, urban renewal. Projects
for sustainable development".
The six finalists were selected among almost 1,000 projects
from across Italy over their ability to demonstrate that
grassroots creativity and know-how can help citizens enjoy their
territory, also by exploiting the many buildings that are often
abandoned and run down.
The Foundation has pledged 40,000 euros as a contribution
for each project, along with 20,000 euros to fund planned
activities, for a total of 360,000 euros.
The projects include the Mercato Sonato by the
Bologna-based Senzaspine Orchestra, a polyfunctional platform
for concerts, performances and laboratories.
There is also the Polline online art gallery in the
Sicilian town of Favara, near Agrigento, to help Italian digital
artists find a global market and the social-media agency
Youtopia in Perugia which promotes multidisciplinary
storytelling projects.
Another winner is the Pisacane permanent laboratory turning
the Pisacane primary school in Rome into a center helping
different cultures get closer through art.
There is also the indoor Milan market of
Giambellino-Lorenteggio promoting trade as well as culture and
social initiatives to help local communities work in synergy and
the Eyes Made for the deaf, in particular Deaf Cinema that
distributes and produces videos and professional training
activities.
The final objective of this initiative is to turn these
projects into long-term activities that are profitable and help
develop low-income neighborhoods.
"The requalification of suburban areas is the challenge of
the century", said Culture Minister Dario Franceschini.
"Italy is late in promoting what is contemporary: while
dealing in the preservation of our heritage, we have not seen
the positive energy present in our country that is worthy of our
support".
"We are trying to correct this mistake by allocating
resources, like a tender worth three million (euros) for cities
that organize cultural activities in the suburbs or the 114
million for creative industries in the Mezzogiorno", or southern
Italy.
The minister concluded saying that "we have already won the
challenge of preservation, we must now turn the creative
industry into a leading sector, like in other countries".
Pierluigi Stefanini, president of the Unipol financial
group and its Unipolis Foundation said the idea was to support
people with good ideas "by helping to consolidate them".
"The country must act at a local level", he continued.
"Saying that you can't eat with culture is a deadly joke",
Stefanini added, quoting last Friday's terror attacks in Paris
to say that, "knowledge is a fundamental weapon, and not a
military one, to stop terrorism".
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