Attraverso25: summer camps for service, training and sharing with migrants
Summer camps for training, service and sharing in migratory and intercultural contexts
Let’s set out together. Backpack on our shoulders, open hearts and a desire to get involved. From all over Italy and Europe, we meet in places where migration and the encounter between cultures are experienced every day. Let us cross borders-those on the maps and those within us-and let us be crossed by the stories of those who struggle, resist and build hope.
In each camp we will experience moments of listening and confrontation, breaking down visible and invisible walls. We will share experiences, ideas and dreams, building bonds that go beyond time and space. Most importantly, we will serve alongside those who care for people on the move every day and make our contribution to transforming borders into bridges.
If you’re looking for an intense, real experience that leaves a mark, you’ve come to the right place. Ready to get going?
To participate in the camps, we ask you to contribute a donation of €120 (this does not have to be a barrier to participation; write to us if you would like to participate but do not think you can afford the full fee): it includes food, lodging, insurance and internal travel on camp days. The shorter Malta proposal, on the other hand, has a registration fee of €60.
Instead, each volunteer will have to make his or her own arrangements for travel to the camp site and for departure.
More precise logistical information will come after registration from the email [email protected]
Categories
Border
We will be at some of the most significant places of border crossings to enter and leave our country-these are almost invisible lines for those with European passports, while for those without papers they are walls and barriers that are difficult to overcome, rejections and humiliation. We will be at key crossing points between inside and outside, between one country and another. For many of us with European passports in our pockets, these borders are just lines on maps. For others, however, they are difficult walls to cross, bureaucratic obstacles, rejections and endless waiting.
Here, where the border becomes concrete, we will meet those who stand alongside people in transit every day. We will hear stories, see firsthand what it means to cross an imposed border, and get our hands dirty, making our contribution together with local associations. An experience that will make us look at borders with new eyes. Are you ready to see beyond?
WHEN
August 10 morning to August 16 (with the possibility of arrival on the 9th evening)
WHERE
Trieste, gateway to Europe, is the terminus of a long, exhausting and hopeful journey. Every day, dozens of people pass through this city, after walking for weeks in the woods of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia, overcoming a thousand obstacles, risks and difficulties. They are men, women, children, who have come from places like Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and many other Near Eastern countries.
Trieste is more than a city of passage. It is where their stories intertwine with our own, where the journey does not end, but continues. Here the border is not just a geographic line, but the symbol of a journey that brings with it hope, challenges, and incredible resilience.
This city is a witness and arrival point of stories that cross Europe, but also a place of encounter, exchange, and change.
WHAT
We will learn first-hand about the migration dynamics affecting Trieste, working alongside Linea d’ombra, Caritas, ICS and the Community of San Martino al Campo in their daily activities to support people on the move arriving in Trieste. We will hear from local actors whose daily actions are political witnesses to a radically alternative vision of what the border is. We will travel, for a few kilometers, the stretch of border that people on the move cross before arriving in Italy.
PARTNER
Through Trieste is a proposal designed together with Caritas Diocesana of Trieste. During the week we will also meet and join other local organizations such as Linea d’Ombra, ICS – Consorzio Italiano di Solidarietà, Comunità di San Martino al campo.
WHEN
August 24 morning to August 30 (with the possibility of arrival on the 23 evening)
WHERE
In the heart of the upper Susa Valley, Oulx is a small mountain town that, in recent years, has become a key point for those traveling the Alpine route. From here, many people traveling from Africa and the Near East set out for France, facing cold, fatigue and uncertainty.
The border here is tangible: a sharp line between the Italian valleys and the French mountains, between two worlds separated by snowy paths and impassable passages. Every day, women, men, minors and families cross it, braving the frost and altitude with one direction in mind: moving forward.
Oulx is a crossroads of stories, encounters and hopes, a place that tells the story of the border not only as a geographic limit, but as a passage to new possibilities.
WHAT
In Oulx, we will have a service experience, working with the operators and volunteers who run the shelter on the Italian side and its counterpart across the border. We will meet the people staying at these shelters, listen to their stories, and help provide them with clean rooms, a hot meal, and the necessities to continue their journey. We will delve into the phenomenon of human mobility along the Alpine route by meeting with witnesses, trainers and those who support people in transit on a daily basis. We will set out, traversing the long mountain paths to experience firsthand the difficulties of transit. We will hear the history of the Susa Valley, which all ‘stroke found itself to be a place of transit for thousands of people. We will reflect on the meaning of borders, European migration choices, and the subtle but indispensable balance that holds the reception system in Oulx.
PARTNERS
During the week we will meet and partner with local entities such as Refuge Fraternity Massi, Talità Kum Foundation, Diaconia Valdese, Medu – Doctors for Human Rights, Franciscan Sisters of Susa in Foresto, Refuge Solidaire in Briançon.
This camp will be implemented with financial support from the European Union and the Piedmont Region, through the Consortium of Piedmontese ETS NGOs within the framework of Connect for Global Change in co-financing with the CRT Foundation and Migrantes Foundation through 8xmille funds from the Catholic Church. The content is the sole responsibility of ASCS and does not necessarily reflect the position of the donors.
Seasonal work
Agriculture in Italy also relies on the labor of thousands of foreign laborers, who move between fields and harvests each season. Their contribution is crucial, but too often the conditions under which they work are harsh and marked by exploitation.
We will stand alongside those who fight for their rights every day, supporting the associations that offer assistance and protections. We will hear the stories of those who face hardship and deprivation, but also of those who have found acceptance and redemption. Together with trainers and experts, we will delve into the dynamics of a system that often renders its workers invisible, but which can no longer be ignored.
A journey that will confront us with an uncomfortable but necessary reality to know. Are you ready to take a closer look at it?
The seasonal labor-themed camps are the result of a collaboration between ASCS and Altromercato, the leading fair trade organization in Italy, which is also engaged in the trade of agricultural products free from exploitation.
WHEN
from July 20 morning to July 26 (with the possibility of arrival on the 19th evening)
WHERE
A field on the move in the province of Cuneo, between Saluzzo and Alba, one of the most fertile areas of Piedmont, where agriculture draws thousands of seasonal workers every year, who find themselves, in some cases, experiencing situations of housing emergency, labor exploitation and being victims of caporalato.
In the midst of this territory, which is rich in resources but marked by strong inequalities, the Caritas Presidia of Cuneo-Fossano, Saluzzo and Alba strive every day to support migrant workers, offering practical and human support.
We will participate in this service camp, putting ourselves on the line to understand firsthand the dynamics of seasonal work and to come alongside those who work in difficult but often invisible conditions. Not only an opportunity for support, but also for reflection on an issue that concerns us all: how can we build a more just system, where work is not synonymous with exploitation?
WHAT
In this camp, we will immerse ourselves in the heart of Piedmont’s agricultural territory, exploring the dynamics that mark the daily lives of those who work in these places. Our service will be in close contact with seasonal workers, supporting local entities that have been working for years to ensure rights and dignity.
But it will not just be a service experience. There will be times of training and encounter, where we will explore together the history of these lands, delving into the issue of labor exploitation and listening to the voices of those who have been fighting for years to make a difference.
It is not only about intervening, but also about understanding, learning and acting.
PARTNER
“Through Cuneo” is organized together with: AVASS, Cuneo Diocesan Works Foundation, Caritas diocesan Cuneo-Fossano and Caritas diocesan Saluzzo-Saluzzo Migrante, Caritas diocesan Alba and Altromercato.
This camp will be implemented with financial support from the European Union and the Piedmont Region, through the Consortium of Piedmontese ETS NGOs within the framework of Connect for Global Change in co-financing with the CRT Foundation and Migrantes Foundation through 8xmille funds from the Catholic Church. The content is the sole responsibility of ASCS and does not necessarily reflect the position of the donors.
WHEN
from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6 (possibility of arriving on the 30th evening)
WHERE
Capitanata is the northern part of Puglia in the province of Foggia: it includes the Gargano and the fertile Tavoliere plain. It is an area of fields as far as the eye can see: wheat and tomatoes above all. The tomatoes we find on our tables almost certainly come from this area and from the employment of thousands of laborers, mostly foreigners, who are often subject to labor exploitation. The area has several informal settlements of seasonal workers who, mainly in summer, settle here to work in the countryside.
WHAT
This summer we will be alongside Caritas of Cerignola in its efforts in the Borgo Tre Titoli ghetto, where Casa Bakhita offers support to seasonal workers and the Pietra di Scarto cooperative works the land confiscated from the Mafia.
Concrete activities alongside seasonal laborers will be complemented by educational meetings to understand the phenomenon of caporalato and more generally the dynamics of human mobility associated with this territory.
PARTNER
Through Capitanata is a proposal designed together with Caritas Diocesana di Cerignola – Ascoli Satriano and Altromercato.
Crossroads
In our country there are places where more than in others on the street, at school, at the supermarket the present of a multicultural community is lived. They are not places of transit like border cities, but centers where for many reasons important communities of citizens of foreign origin live: places of exchange and encounter, sometimes also of confrontation and social difficulty, always spaces of complexity in which it is important to be, to weave bonds and build bridges.
We will be in these crossroads of citizenships to meet diversity, listen to stories and involve ourselves in the activities of those who become animators of these multicultural contexts.
WHEN
August 4 to 10
WHERE
In Castel Volturno, a town in the province of Caserta stretched along the coast: a place rich in different cultures and religions that intertwine, creating a lively and dynamic environment. Here, the traditions of global communities merge, giving rise to a unique reality, particularly visible among second generations who experience transculturalism by reiventing their identities. Castel Volturno is also a place of profound contradictions and overlapping of some of our country’s most challenging problems: mafia, squatting, social poverty, human and drug trafficking, and the remoteness of institutions. In this context, a mission of the Comboni Fathers has been present for years, intertwining with people’s lives, promoting spaces for sociality and human development, with a special focus on the generations of migrant children.
WHAT
In a week built by mixing the Scalabrinian and Comboni charism we will confront the many jagged aspects that characterize the territory of Castel Volturno, moving between the coast and the hinterland we will hear stories of mafia and resistance, death and life, beautiful beaches and crumbling concrete and meet the communities that inhabit this land. We will serve the activities of the Combonian mission in Castel Volturno with migrant people and the local community.
PARTNER
Comboni Fathers, Black & White Association, Campania Regional Missionary Commission
Mediterranean
A new proposal to discover human mobility in the Mediterranean from another point of view: from the heart of the sea bridge between cultures and European frontier, we will immerse ourselves in the experience of its islands. These will be days above all of knowing and listening to stories, visiting places, exchanging experiences in a European dimension brought to you on a small island.
If you want to discover how migration is lived on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean and experience a European exchange, this is the proposal for you.
WHEN?
Oct. 23 to 26
WHEN?
Malta, center of the Mediterranean, a meeting place of many different cultures, a country with a language that tells in depth a history so varied and close to our Italy. As recalled by Pope Francis on his apostolic journey in 2022, “throughout its history Malta has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures, and welcoming, beginning with the shipwreck of St. Paul, is one of the traits with which the Maltese people most identify.” There are many local entities working in Malta in support of migrants, and efforts are not only to help people arriving along Maltese shores, but also to raise awareness about the migration phenomenon in the Maltese community, despite the political difficulties in managing the rescue and reception of migrants.
WHAT
Three community days with members of the Christian Life Community – CLC Malta with meetings with migrants and refugees, local realities, religious bodies involved in reception, Non-Governmental Organizations working in support of migrants and refugees in Malta, in-depth discussions on the topic of migration, exchange in intercultural groups, natural and artistic beauties with the aim of understanding more closely how migration is perceived and welcomed in a country that, like Italy, is exposed to the migration issue, given that it is located on the famous Central Mediterranean route.
PARTNERS
CLC Malta, CLC Italy
Rome: Youth Jubilee
As part of this summer’s Youth Jubilee, ASCS invites groups of young pilgrims to participate in special activities dedicated to the theme of human mobility. It will be an opportunity to reflect together on the meaning of the journey, encounter and freedom of movement, through testimonies, workshops and moments of intercultural dialogue, in order to rediscover the value of a traveling humanity. You can register your group by sending an email to [email protected], indicating the number of participants. We are waiting for you to walk together!
