ASEPm

ASPEm is an NGO based in Cantù (Italy). Its work is centered around three lines of intervention: international development and cooperation, youth mobility and global citizenship education. ASPEm works on themes related to interculture, human rights, health, agriculture and socio-economic development in Latin America, Africa and Italy. In every part of the world, the presence of ASPEm is characterized by the support to local partners, with whom it develops projects that arise from the needs of the local population. ASPEm’s approach is characterized by participation and community development and wishes to promote the establishment of networks among the subjects of the territory through empowerment, engagement and professional training activities. ASPEm believes in the value of volunteering and recognizes it as a space for responsible participation: it promotes national and international volunteering programmes through the Italian Universal Civil Service and the EU Aid Volunteers initiative, which promote the leadership of young people and the development of specific and transversal skills to support of their personal and professional growth. Every year ASPEm deploys employs at least 20 young volunteers. ASPEm also supports organizations in Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia to improve their skills in managing the sending and hosting of volunteers. ASPEm carries out many Global Citizenship Education projects in schools: they involve teachers and students throughout the province of Como and Lombardy with the aim of raising awareness on the issue of human rights, development and sustainability, contextualized to current world events. One of the constant objectives is to offer schools support and innovative tools (methodological, digital, etc) to launch participatory and experiential educational paths and the leadership of students, teachers and all school staff in order to promote active participation in the society. Every year ASPEm involves at least 30 schools of all types and levels, 100 teachers and 1500 students. ASPEm also works in close with the citizenship at large, and in particular with the local young people, involving them in experiential workshops, Open Space Technology, trainings focused on sustainable development, volunteering, both local and abroad, international cooperation. In addition, ASPEm develops guidance courses dedicated to the assessment and enhancement of skills acquired during active citizenship and voluntary experiences in order to accompany younger citizens in the implementation of conscious and sustainable life paths. It also collaborates with the local Eurodesk to promote local, national and international volunteering and active citizenship experiences and to involve numerous boys and girls every year. Every year ASPEm involves at least 150 young people participating in the local proposed activities. ASPEm proposes training courses and social activities dedicated to the migrant population and to the Diaspora Associations present in the local area, with the aim of promoting their effective inclusion and socio-working participation in the local context. In South America ASPEm operates in Peru, Bolivia and Guatemala with projects targeting the most vulnerable people, especially children and women, on the issues of entrepreneurship, health, family violence, defense of human rights, improvement of housing conditions, economic development, food sovereignty and environmental protection. In Africa, ASPEm has active partnerships with Guinea Conakry, Burundi and Ethiopia for the implementation of social projects focused on entrepreneurship and food sovereignty. ASPEm takes part to the local network of Non-Profit Associations which includes 50 local associations and in whose constitution ASPEm has actively participated. It is also part of regional and national networks such as CoLomba - COoperation LOMBArdia, the Association of International Cooperation and Solidarity Organizations of Lombardy formed by 50 associations working in Cooperation and Global Citizenship Education; ONG2.0 network, a national network of Non-Profit and technological innovation bodies to support and experiment the use of digital technologies to carry out social projects and development cooperation; FOCSIV, the Federation of Christian organizations for International Volunteering.