FINAL REPORT

"DECRESCERE E STILI DI VITA, SOSTENIBILITA’ AMBIENTALE,

PARTECIPAZIONE E CONVIVIALITA’… IN EUROPA"

RE-LIFE

Reference number CSP-2008-144

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR EDUCATION AND CULTURE

EACEA - EXECUTIVE AGENCY CULTURE, EDUCATION, AUDIOVISUAL

EUROPE FOR CITIZENS PROGRAMME

INTRODUCTION

The project "Decrescere e stli di vita, sostenibilità ambientale, partecipazione e convivialità… in Europa"¹ represents the first project of the Social Cooperative Insieme at the European level in the field of citizens' participation and active European Citizenship related to environment and sustainable development.

Insieme, since its establishment in 1979, has always been working on environmental issues, on one side, and on social matters, on the other side, promoting – as the title of the project clearly states – new life styles, environmental sustainability, participation and well-being at the local level. The new proposal “merges” though these two sides, the environmental and the social ones, and open the horizons of the Cooperative to the European dimension.

Insieme Social Cooperative strongly believes that active European citizenship and the enhancement of citizens' participation may lead to a better integrated, united, respectful, welfare world. Therefore, Insieme Social Cooperative has decided to test its capacities of actor promoting Active European Citizenship and citizens participation at the local level in a European dimension, cooperating at the cross-border level witH Austria and Croatia.

The new challenges of nowadays society in Europe, together with the difficulties Europe is now facing, highlighted in a particular way the "need" to develop new and innovative actions to close the gap between EU institutions and the citizens, in order to promote Europe as an opportunity for improving living together in harmony and dignity and avoid the risk of considering it as a mere technical mechanism dealing with economy and market regulations.

Therefore, also in line with the final declarations of the summit of the Council of Europe held in Warsaw in 2005, the Social Cooperative Insieme confirmed, also through the implementation of this project, its commitment and its future actions, in the field of active citizenship, with a particular focus on the themes and topics which represent the core business of the Cooperative such as environmental and social policies.

Within this project, Insieme has been focusing on the promotion - with a bottom-up approach, through which citizens are at the same time learners and resources – of new life styles which pay attention to the environment, with a specific focus on reusing and recycling which have an impact on everyday life of European citizens.

There is nowadays a great need to make people aware of their role in constructing a sustainable society, making them understand that everyone, according to the role played in the society, needs to actively contribute to that. That is why it is important to promote and enhance “citizens education” on the topics tackled by the present proposal. For these reasons Insieme, together with its partners, promoted the project "Decrescere e stli di vita, sostenibilità ambientale, partecipazione e convivialità… in Europa".