There are many opportunities for civic participation in Siracusa, a partner of URBACT ACTive NGOs project, but there are also challenges mainly connected with the lack of physical space for different NGOs to implement their activities. Gianni Saraceno, member of URBACT local group and a representaive of association S.D. Syrako Rugby Club shares his experience of involvement in the project.
Dear Gianni, why did you join the Active NGO project and what were your expectations?
The Sports Club I belong to, Syrako Rugby Club, was member of the ‘House of Citizens’, a stucture born thanks to Urbact GeniUS Open Project. This group of Association, based on a primary school, offered diverse inclusive activities to the inhabitants of a neglected area. Due to different reasons, the House of Citizens has been closed, and it seemed natural to us to join Active NGO’s which represents, from my point of view, the prosecution and enrichment of that experience.
My expectations were on the one hand to find a physical place in which to carry out Syrako's activities , which are not limited to those realized on the playing fields, on the other to belong to a network of Associations with whom to exchange experiences and work together.
What did you learn along the way?
Over the years I have participated several times in projects funded by the European Union but so far I didn’t know the Urbact "method". Thanks to the continuous exchange with the partners and experts of ACTive NGOs, the participation to the National Campus that took place in Turin (May 2018) and to the transnational meeting in Siracusa (October 2019), I discovered how the programme works, what tools it uses and in addition I had the opportunity to know the number of active experiences in Italy and Europe.
What aroused your interest most?
Definitely the opportunity to get to know the other Urbact projects and those who, throughout Europe, dedicate themselves to their realization. I was able to verify that in most of the cities there are similar opportunities and critical issues and therefore I could take inspiration from other experiences and bring it back to Siracusa.
What would you have done differently?
The implementation of the project in Siracusa, in addition to the inevitable delays due to the pandemic Covid19, had a slow trend in some phases, in particular for what concerns the administrative obligations of the Municipalilty and some political issues, despite the efficiency and the availability of the Office managing the Active NGO’s project.
Furthermore, although it is one of the objectives of the project, in my opinion, a real collaboration between the participating associations has not yet been established ,because some of them have not fully understood the Urbact methodologies and the opportunities offered by ACTive NGOs. They continued to behave as "passive” actors and renouncing to share ideas and contents.
What has most affected you (positively) and / or enriched you in the whole process - at local and / or national and / or partnership level?
In addition to what I said above, I had the proof that the Public Administration can be a great partner: the project staff worked hard in order to guide us in this process also if, in its turn, it has suffered slowdowns of the bureaucratic machine.
I was also struck by the expertise of the experts coordinating the projects in the partner cities and, last but not least, in finding that throughout Europe there are citizens and associations who dedicate themselves with commitment and enthusiasm to carry out activities, ideas, projects that aim to improve the cities in which they live!
The Agreement has been already signed and the keys of the Houses will be given you. Tell us about your vision : what do you imagine there will be / will be done in these Active NGO's HOUSES?
I say: finally! The signing of the agreement comes almost two years from the beginning of this adventure, two years in which there have been changes in us, in our associations, in our city and I would say in the world ... but surely, as far as we are concerned, the motivations that prompted us to join the project are unchanged, indeed others have been added to the starting ones because in the meantime the Syrako Rugby Club has grown and therefore the need to have spaces in which to carry out our business is even more pressing.
According to my vision, the Active NGO's Houses must be spaces returned to the city to allow citizens - through the associations that will be part of that - to be able to participate in activities of multiple genres, traditional and innovative, in a continuous exchange of experiences, skills and testimonials . Places from which to start to reach as many inhabitants as possible, making them feel the Houses as "their own" places and involve them in processes that can improve their quality of life.
For what concerns the Associations, I expect first of that they ALL can grow in a stable way and increase the quality and quantity of their activities, thanks also to the collaboration between them and the full assimilation of the Urbact method. I hope that - overcoming the problems of these two years – the Associations will be able to understand the value of the network and become truly protagonists of a model that will make Siracusa grow. I hope they can see the public administration not as an "enemy" or a simple funds-giving agency but as a partner with whom to seize opportunities and implement projects.
To conclude, I hope that the Houses can become beating places in the city, open to all and always full of life!
