WeExperience

The area dubbed “Experience” aims to highlight the work of international “best practices” working in the social field. As always, the participation will be highly interactive. So that the organizations can “show” as well as “tell”.

Los Grafiteros de Soacha (Colombia)
Casa Soacha started out in 2003, in a rented building that housed 60 kids after school and on weekends. Creative workshops and team projects were realized tank to small private donations. Casa Soacha carries out important work with children locally known as pelados, (bald) meaning  they have nothing and nothing to  lose, if not their own skin. These kids create graffiti murals as a positive outlet for artistic expression and emotion.  

Shared Responsibility (Colombia)
“Respondabilidad Compartida”, is an initiative promoted by the Office of the Vice President of Colombia, Francisco Santos Calderon. The project aims to raise awareness in drug consuming countries of the damage being done, especially to the environment, by the drug trade. From slash and burn coca farming in the Amazonian rainforests to the pollution caused by the chemicals used to transform the coca into cocaine, the goal is to bring to light little known aspects of drug cultivation and trafficking

Drumming Programs for At-Risk Children (USA)
Since 1985 percussionist Steve Ferraris has performed for audiences of all ages both national and international. In Children’s drumming class, Steve teaches his guys not just music but also values such as teamwork and discipline boosting their self-esteem

Mow & Grow (United Kingdom)
Mow & Grow is a landscaping service which employs the elderly, as well as other socially marginalized and hard to employ groups. The organization works in the most difficult areas of the United Kingdom and aims to reduce crime and other antisocial behavior by providing professional experience and qualifications that permit these groups to be reintegrated into the workforce.  

Jump Start Move (United Kingdom)
This organization works with at risk youth between the ages of 12 and 18 . “Jump Start Move” utilizes theater and dance to empower these youngsters and teach them valuable life skills, helping them reach an extremely high level of artistic proficiency

Good Goods (Italy – Thailand)
The Good Goods project aims to offer an integrated solution to drug production, traffic and use on an International level. Furthermore, the initiative promotes the development of sustainable, legal, alternative livelihoods in those countries where previously, poverty, social marginalization and lack of opportunity have strengthened the illicit economy. This is why Good Goods work on an International level to create a network of best practices, products and services, excellent in quality but also in their social action. A new kind of certification follows, symbol of excellence and social value, contributing to the fight against poverty, marginalization and drugs. 

Associazione I Mozartini (Italy)
The “Mozartini” orchestra, composed of forty young musicians from Salerno and nearby provinces, aims to raise awareness and appreciation of music, art and beauty among children and adolescents. The organizations’ center has become a meeting place for these young people, living them a healthy environment in which to socialize and interact, far from the crime and degradation that lurks close by. 

Discoteca Zero Gradi (Italy) + A.I.B.E.S. (Italy)
The “Zero Gradi” project was founded in Padua by five adolescents with the support f the President of a local volunteer group, “Mappaluna”. They decided, together, to launch a new fashion, an non alcoholic discotheque. Breath tests are given at the entrance and not the exit of this club, to be sure no one comes in that has been drinking. During “WFD”, Zero Gradi will be offering a variety of non alcoholic cocktails, prepared by the best barmen in Italy, courtesy of AIBES, the Italian Barman Association.

Communication with a social message - IULM (Italy)
This exhibit, presented by the IULM University of Milan (school of communication) and born with the activities of the Executive International Master on Communication and Strategies of Intervention in Drug Addiction organized in collaboration with San Patrignano Community, gathers a variety of videos and commercial shorts with a strong social message from television stations across the globe.  An opportunity to compare approaches to social issues (especially drug addiction) through geographical and cultural borders. During this day the second edition of the “Stardust” student competition will be launched, and the awards for the first edition will be given.  

Piazza dei Mestieri (Italy)
Piazza dei Mestieri aims to help at risk young people develop their potential through professional training. It seeks t o mirror the traditional Italian town square or “piazza” where people intermingled, skills and knowledge were passed on organically. 

Amico Charly – Officina dei Giovani (Italy)
An abandoned factory in the Bovisa-Dergano neighborhood of Milan, this “city of young people” is a place for preadolescent and teenage youth to express themselves, with support from an adult staff, in an area of 12,000 square metres.  Besides having a place where they can be listened to, they also have scholastic support, through the collaboration with parents and teachers. They can participate in projects using graffiti, traditional painting, music, dance, etc, all geared towards the development of their own personality. The "Officina" (workshop) is an area aimed at social integration that, in conjunction with other local organizations and politcal bodies, offers a gathering space for young people. One area, the "Crisis Center" is dedicated to those who have gone through specific forms of trauma, from self harm to attempted sucide, where they can be followed by a professional staff.

Cafénoir (Italy)
Cafénoir, created by the Milan Institute for the blind, i san opportunity for everyone to experience the magic of darkness. Happy hour, cocktails and music fill the dark spaces, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, called Cafénoir. At Cafénoir it is possible to rediscover the value of the word as means of communication. It does not matter what you are wearing, the color of your eyes, or how you style your hair. At Cafénoir what matters is what you think, what you say and the way you say it. Cafénoir reveals much more than it may seem.

Mondosole (Italy)
Chiarasole Ciavatta's battle with eating disorders lasted 14 years. Her own personal experience was what drove her to help pther people suffering from similar problems, through her volunteer association and web site www.chiarasole.it, where she recieves requests for help from all over Italy. She then founded the Mondosole center in Rimini for the treatment of anorexia and bulimia. It is an open community which provides services of treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration, as well as support for families of those in treatment.

Internet Kiosk (Italy)
The students invited to WeFree day will have an "internet kiosk" at their disposal where they can use to leave messages and blog posts, register and comment in online forums and, most of all, meet with the protagonists of the prevention campaigns, Ragazzi Permale and Fughe da Fermi. The web staff of www.wefree.it will be on hand to interact and help, all day long.