In Santa Venerina, in the province of Catania, the Falegnameria dell'Inclusione was born, a project we supported alongside the Cooperativa Sociale Rò la Formichina.
On 11 October, the shed of the new carpentry workshop was inaugurated in the presence of the Bishop of Acireale Monsignor Antonino Raspanti, the Mayor of Santa Venerina Salvatore Greco, and the local Head of the Pope John XXIII Community Primo Lazzari. From 4 p.m. onwards, the premises of the building were open for visits, accompanied by a catering team made up of boys from the Juvenile Penal Institute of Acireale.
"In the carpentry workshop, not only wood is transformed, but also the destiny of people," explains Marco Lovato, president of the cooperative and head of one of the two-family homes in the village. "Young people with a past of deviance," continues Lovato, "realize that they can do many things and that they no longer need to be delinquent in order to survive. In addition, we see the metamorphosis of boys who came from penal institutions after working alongside disabled people". Thanks to the project and its supporters, in fact, Rò la Formichina has been able to strengthen the workshop in Catania, where honey is also produced, and expand the day center, also in Santa Venerina, in which 16 young people with disabilities are placed.
A concrete project that offers these young people at risk of marginalization periods of apprenticeship and work grants, but above all new skills and life prospects.