Cooperativa Sociale Liberi Sogni Onlus

The cooperative Liberi Sogni (that means 'Free Dreams' in italian) is very active in its territory since 2006 organizing social, cultural and environmental projects in the districts of Lecco, Bergamo and Monza e Brianza, in the region Lombardia. Our activities mainly involve children, adolescents and their families.

The cooperative works mainly in two fields:

- ENVIRONMENT: the cooperative promotes environmental protection presenting ecological, alternative and sustainable ways of life. To spread this attitude and
also to preserve old forest and valorize our territory we organise workshops in schools and during educative events in our space "Parco Ludico", "protecting nature's days", weekends meetings into the nature and environmental creative Summer Camps with teenagers. Since 2014 we are involved in "Crazy-lienza" project in a woods located in Valgreghentino (LC), where we have created a local resilience center involving local communities, schools and young people.
Since 2017 we are working to create a "Woods Free University in Brianza Mountain" which aims to collect and promote old and new knowledges and competences about forest protection and prevention and green jobs expecially with young people.

-CULTURE AND SOCIAL ANIMATION: the cooperative organizes and manages theatre, musical and artistic workshops, summer and winter camps in the nature, training course and seminars. All our proposal are linked by the will of increase the local community's awareness towards the richness of local culture, without losing the importance of the connection with the rest of the world and the exchange with different realities. Since November 2012 the cooperative, with the municipality of Galbiate, have been managing the activities in a place called 'Parco Ludico' that has a key-role for the local community, because concerns the educational and cultural field. In this space we organize regular educational meetings and cultural events. All of those are dedicated to young people and families, giving them oportunity to try new activities and sports and to present their artistic talents, which we believe, help them to find their strong competences and supported can percentage in the future making profession's choice easier. This space is also to discuss, share minds and opinions and by this create more united, aware, tolerant and open - minded community.
Since September 2013 to 2017 the cooperative managed also didactic and cultural services in the Abegg Silk Museum in Garlate, where we show and expain history and values of our region and its influence on italian and european market; through artistic activities for youngsters organized in laboratory in Silk Museum we try to improve their creativity and manual competences. (www.museosetagarlate.it).
Since 2017 we are also working on a new project: "Community Museum. Culture and Community to grow together" which aims to enhance Liberi Sogni in managerial and organizational framework and to innovate and diversify its culture supply, based on a new vision of museum in the contemporary society.

Our team is formed by 15 people from 20 to 45 years old who are historians, educators, mediators, sociologists, actors, professors and artists, all professionals that cooperate in the different projects depending on their own areas of expertise. All the people working in our organization are connected by a great passion for our territory and youth-work.

Liberi Sogni mainly targets are teenagers, childrens and young people from 5 to 30 years old, keeping in close touch with their families, other associations of the area and the local community.

OUR EUROPEAN EXPERIENCES
Liberi Sogni always considered the intercultural very important. Many people that work in the cooperative have lived abroad for volunteering or working experiences (in countries ad Nicaragua, Venezuela, Peru, Islans, Swiden) and experimented directly how important is to promote solidarity and attention towards other cultures, especially among young people.
In particular, a collaborator did an EVS in Iceland; this experience was very motivating for us, so we went deep in the knowledge of EVS and in 2012 we the accreditation as hosting and coordinating organization and since 2015 we can also send EVS volunteers (accreditation code: 2015-1-IT03-KA110-007582); we hosted 5 EVS volunteers for 7 months within two different projects:i "European Free Dreamers" (IT 21 171 2012 r3) e "Youth in camp" (IT 21 212 2013 R3), "Youth experiences in local communities (2016-1-IT03-KA105-008066 ). We think that hosting an EVS volunteer is an important occasion to share ideas, point of views and competences with people coming from different cultures but that want to get involved in our environment.
We also hosted in Valgreghentino's woods a Lunaria's camps with teenagers from Italy, Germany, Belgium, France, Turkey, Finland and Spain (July 2016, 2017 and 2018) and in 2013 and 2017 we organized two Youth Exchange 'As Green As Possible' (IT11E1452013R1) and "Growing together in a Crazy-lient woods" (2016-3-IT03-KA105-009976) hosting teenagers from five different contries (Hungary, Bulgaria, Portugal, Croatia and Italy) for ten days in a woods. The projects were focused on environmental education and awareness through active engagement of young people in a natural environment.
In 2014, with the project “Liberi sogni for culture” financed by our Region (European Social Funds), we did internships in different organization in order to improve and innovate our projects in Italy (some partners were: Thyessen Museum in Madrid - Spain, Förderverein schloss Neudeck e.V.in Germany, Stockholms High School of Dance, Music and Drama studies in Sweden, Come Touvay designer in France, Estudio Mamifero in Spain and Centro Educativo Medio Ambiental in Spain)
Liberi Sogni is always opened to new partnerships and innovative cooperations, because thanks to our 'dream' component, we believe in this way we raise
community aware of mobility possibilities, diversity and at the same time equality among people from diffrent cultures, social and economical backgrunds, able to comply to live in common space.