News

This is a project from the “heart”. It is born from our life experiences: we who every day are in contact with those who need many supports to access life opportunities, we who every time we can put on boots and look up, with legs that try to follow dreams. We know that this proposal embraces the needs and desires of many people, even (or mainly?) those with autism, intellectual disabilities or emotional fragilities. Big or small.

It is a project that we try to support with the maximum of our knowledge and capabilities: as educators, as psychologists, as parents, as citizens, as hiking guides.
‘Sentieri Aperti ‘ creates an experimental group through the union of these intentions, competences and experiences, to offer opportunities not currently available on our territory. It is a new project, because purposefully distant from other activities often indicated with “therapeutic” scopes, designed to be rewarding (for participants) and effective in offering important experiences for self-determination, personal development and emotional wellbeing. It is new
because it is designed to offer evidence about produced outcomes and for being modelled after individual needs and expectations. In short, a small gymnasium for experiences mediated by the ever-fascinating Mother Nature.

The goal is taking people with disabilities (we use a single label, even though in aninaccurate way…) for a hike. The nature of our territory, from the great Po River to the crest of Tuscan-Emilian Apennine, offers a maze of potential paths that are suitable and adaptive to any kind of wish or needs.

The activities are organised in a structured way. We will start from knowing each person, their strengths and difficulties, in order to build around each of them adequate support, programming activities together with people, strengthening communication abilities and promoting their choices, based on personal preferences.

Every path will be monitored in relation to different goals, such as improving some autonomies (preparing the backpack, manage thermic control of one’s body), the ability to relate to the group and share emotions and thoughts favouring inclusion in natural settings and learning how to use natural and non-natural resources of our territory (such as shelters).

The project also includes a specific action of paths documentation which, through
photographs and video reportages, will enrich the newborn “Scarponi Rotti (Broken Boots)” column that will be able to return the experiences to institutional realities and all interested citizens.

Promoters
Francesco Salton: creator and project coordinator, works as Socio-sanitary Operator
at the “Insieme” Co-op. He is qualified as an Environmental Hiking Guide.
Mauro Leoni: Psychologist, Psychotherapist , Behaviour Analyst
Cristiana Torricella: Anffas Parma