by InTrieste
A performance held Wednesday at Civiform’s training center in Opicina marked the culmination of a two-year initiative aimed at fostering integration and active citizenship among unaccompanied foreign minors. The event, which brought together students, social workers, volunteers, and educators, was the final chapter of the project “Unaccompanied Foreign Minors as Active Citizens in the Educational Community.”
Organized by the professional training center Civiform in partnership with a network of social and cultural organizations—including Accademia della Follia, Cooperativa Monte San Pantaleone, CIOFS-FP, Duemilauno Agenzia Sociale, Santa Angela Merici, and Dijaški Dom Trst—the initiative was selected by Con i Bambini, a public-private entity operating under Italy’s National Fund for Combating Educational Poverty in Minors.
The project, described by participants as a potential national model, was designed to promote inclusion through mutual understanding. It engaged a wide range of stakeholders: reception centers, healthcare and social services, schools, volunteer guardians, local associations, and businesses. Together, they built a collaborative framework intended to bridge gaps between public and private social sectors and to improve coordination around migrant reception efforts.
At the heart of the program was a commitment to preserving dignity and recognizing the potential of young migrants, with the goal of empowering them to become active contributors to the communities they now call home.
“This has been more than just a project,” said Chiara Franceschini, general director of Civiform, during the event’s opening remarks. “It’s been an experience that shows how collective work, if done with respect and sincerity, can create real, lasting change.”
The final performance—developed through theater workshops and agricultural activities—served both as a showcase of the young participants’ talents and a reflection of their journeys. Organizers say they hope the model can be replicated elsewhere in Italy and beyond.
