Fondazione Reggio Children among the organizations involved in the Emilia-Romagna Region’s Urban Transformative Agenda for Sustainable Development (ATUSS)

Fondazione Reggio Children is proud to participate in the project “Pre-Text to Connection”, part of ATUSS – the Urban Transformative Agenda for Sustainable Development promoted by the Emilia-Romagna Region. This initiative aims to strengthen social inclusion, active citizenship, and innovative cultural welfare practices. The project represents an important opportunity to connect expertise, experiences, and good practices from different territories and organizations, enhancing each partner’s contribution in building more cohesive and inclusive communities.

Pre-Text to Connection is an innovative project promoted by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia with Farmacie Comunali Riunite, in collaboration with the Fondazione Reggio Children, the Centro Teatrale MaMiMò, and the Cooperativa Sociale Coress. The initiative addresses inequalities and marginalization by fostering dialogue, culture, and urban regeneration, creating connections between people and places, and offering educational, inclusive, and cultural pathways. Its goal is not only to foster inclusion, but also to generate new forms of community life and citizenship that recognize equal dignity and value among the many identities present in the Santa Croce neighbourhood. 

The project also contributes to expanding the “città dei 15 minuti” (15-minute city), offering an innovative, multi-level system of services and activities for citizens of Reggio Emilia, with particular attention to people experiencing vulnerability or marginalization. Key objectives include social inclusion, informal learning, the development of relational skills, and universal accessibility to the structures and functions of the Reuse Project. The initiative promotes diverse social, cultural, and educational activities designed to attract and engage people at risk of exclusion, including vulnerable adults living alone, people with migration backgrounds, the unemployed, people with disabilities, and minors from fragile families.

Two key spaces in the project: Viale Ramazzini 33 and the former Mangimificio Caffarri

Viale Ramazzini 33 Creative Lab - Creative and Cultural Space managed by the Coress Cooperative, and the former Mangimificio Caffarri, home to the Reggio Children Foundation and the MaMiMò Theatre Centre, offer opportunities to enrich life in the Santa Croce neighbourhood with new social and cultural initiatives, promoting inclusion through a variety of languages and practices. These spaces not only facilitate encounters among different groups of citizens, but also help build a support network that improves access to opportunities and resources, offering a renewed vision of active participation.

Thanks to the support of the European Union through the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), Pre-Text to Connection strengthens the link between education, culture, and social innovation, generating positive impacts on both the well-being of participants and the local community fabric. Within this framework, the Reggio Children Foundation will contribute through educational and cultural initiatives aimed at countering educational poverty, including training sessions, workshops, and guided visits. The Foundation will also host volunteer experiences and collaborate in disseminating project activities through its territorial network. In doing so, the Foundation continues its commitment to promoting inclusive and creative practices, valuing local resources, and supporting new forms of community building.