The Italian organisation CEMEA del Mezzogiorno Onlus (Training Centres for Active Education Methods) works with international learning mobility as a tool for education, complementing our local work within our youth centres in Rome. Our organisation is part of worldwide educational movement of trainers and social workers started in the 50s.

Vision: CEMEA promotes the respect of people diversities, believing in everyone's desire to better one self. Making this opportunity accessible to each individual is CEMEA’s main aim.

Mission: CEMEA’s (Training Centres for Active Education Methods) educational activity, combined with the international learning opportunities offered by the European Union, support participation, intercultural approach, local dimension and active citizenship as basic elements for collective and individual actions.

 

The main aim of our educational work is to support people to:

  • express themselves;
  • find new cultural perspectives;
  • recognize and valorise personal and collective entrepreneurship;
  • foster self-esteem and develop a positive approach towards society;
  • acquire abilities and specific competencies.

 

Our international unit has 14 years long experience in working with international learning mobility. For many years, CEMEA del Mezzogiorno has been dealing with Youth in Action Programme (realizing EVS projects hosting and sending, youth exchanges, training courses, seminars…) – Life Long Learning Programme (realizing projects in the frame of Leonardo da Vinci Mobility, Leonardo Transfer of Innovation, Grundtvig Learning Partnership, Grundtvig senior volunteering – Grundtvig Multilateral) and now with Erasmus+.

Our main activities in Italy can be summed up in: training stages for educators, teachers, animators; educative centres for children, teenagers and youngsters; artistic and cultural activities within social programs; holidays and spare time centres;  international exchanges; workshops outside compulsory education; ecological and environmental education; exchanges with universities; national and international meetings and seminars; publishing activities (bulletins, books, reviews…)

Our target group is learners in general: children, youngsters, adults and people over 50 years old.

CEMEA del Mezzogiorno is particularly concerned with the issue of inclusion which is strategically integrated throughout its educational work. In the case of young people with less opportunities, 3 are the main reference groups:

- thanks to a cooperation with the Office for Social Services for Minors of the Ministry of Justice, we use mobility learning as a complementary tool for youngsters under on probation system.

- thanks to a cooperation with local and national association we involve  youngsters with light mental disability (Asperger syndrome, autistic, down, light mental deficiency…), complementing and valorising their previous and future local path towards autonomy.

- thanks to the cooperation with adolescent and youth centres, especially the ones directly managed by Cemea, we support the participation of youngsters with socio economic disadvantage backgrounds, with school dropout and occasional jobs. Often they are immigrants of second generation with cultural identity problems.

 

STAFF INVOLVED:

Maria Teresa Padula is a professional educator and Cemea’s learning mobility officer. She organizes and manages community actions, which allow learning through international mobility. She is an expert in the field of individual support for integration and intercultural learning in relation to local reality within EVS and Leonardo Da Vinci internships.

Gabriela David is responsible for the external communication of Cemea del Mezzogiorno and preparation of young people, youth workers and trainers in the youth field, taking part to international mobility activities.

Aura Contarino has been working in the youth animation field for 8 years. She is one of CEMEA del Mezzogiorno’s youth workers and has experience in educational and animation workshops with children and youth. She is responsible for personal support and mentoring in the hosting of volunteers and trainees within EVS and Erasmus+ KA1 VET.