CAPACITyES - Children Against Poverty Awake the CITy Education System

CAPACITyES intends to address urban educational poverty in a multiple perspective, taking into account different dimensions: housing, education, art, sport and culture, through active participation and inclusion of the citizens. 
The interconnected solutions are, as follow:
-    a Co-Housing facility for families with children with personal and shared spaces to live in. Their presence will be temporary and aimed at supporting them in dealing with housing difficulties, staying on the labor market and exercising full autonomy;
-    a creative HubForKids that will be focused on improving children’s cognitive and non-cognitive skills, proposing artistic, sport, music and cultural activities, and performances targeted for different age groups. Children will also benefit from scholarships, as an economic help;
-    site specific Artistic Installations to be located inside the Co-Housing building, the HubforKids and in different city spots becoming a single huge site-specific installation aimed at connecting the centre and the suburbs, by facilitating their cross-contamination. 
A participatory process will be the basis of the project providing a symbolic and effective connection through all the solutions implemented. Project beneficiaries, particularly children, will be actively involved in a bottom-up approach aimed to the design, planning and management of the two new structures, as well as being the direct inspiring of urban art installations.
The aim is to change the way Bergamo defines its urban space in the considered deprived areas, making out of it attractive and inclusive, combining art, culture and creativity with children’s active participation in the designing of innovative solutions to urban renewal.