Rome’s Municipio XV is opening the new “Giovani e Famiglie Gandalf” youth and family centre at via delle Galline Bianche 105 in Labaro. The centre will be inaugurated on Friday 13 November from 14:00. It aims to involve a community of more than 200 young people and family members, and it joins two other youth centres in the same municipality.
What changes
The Gandalf centre is run by the social cooperative Cassiavass. Until about a year ago it was housed in a school building. It now reopens in a new space located next to the local senior centre. The centre is funded with municipal and regional money.
The programme
The centre reopens with a new programme called “Gandalf – Convergenze creative”, which puts the uniqueness of each girl and boy at the centre. It offers opportunities for meeting, expression and growth through a range of activities, including:
- theatre
- music
- writing
- drawing
- cinema
- parkour
A network of centres in Municipio XV
The Labaro centre adds to the youth spaces at Tomba di Nerone and Cesano. At Tomba di Nerone, the centre operates in the premises of the Sesto Miglio school and involves more than 150 people, including children aged 6 and over and their family members. In Cesano, a “Centro diffuso” for local children and adolescents was launched on an experimental basis two years ago.
| Centre | Setting | Who it reaches |
|---|---|---|
| Gandalf, Labaro | via delle Galline Bianche 105, next to the senior centre | more than 200 young people and family members |
| Tomba di Nerone | Sesto Miglio school premises | more than 150 children aged 6 and over and their families |
| Cesano | Centro diffuso, started experimentally two years ago | children and adolescents of the area |
The president of Municipio XV, Daniele Torquati, and the municipal councillor for social affairs, Agnese Rollo, presented the purpose of the network. They said the centres aim to recognise each person’s potential, give space to young people’s voices and accompany their families. In their words, each adolescent can find their own form of expression and contribute to group life in safe environments supported by specialised staff.