Associazione Centro Orientamento Educativo - COE

Associazione Centro Orientamento Educativo (COE) is an organization and NGO born in Italy in 1959, committed to the growth of a more welcoming and responsible society. It is committed in many international cooperation projects, registered to the list of the OSC (the Civil Society Organizations). Since 1974, COE has realized projects in different countries, such as Cameroon, D.R. Congo, Bangladesh and Guatemala regarding training and education, arts and culture, healthcare, and rural and social development. In Italy, COE undertakes projects of Global Citizenship Education, considering the needs of the youth and schools. Great importance is given to the valorisation of art and cinema. Since 1991, COE organizes, in Milan, the African, Asian and Latin America Film festival- FCAAAL. The objective of the Festival is to promote knowledge about other cultures through films by European and non-European directors. MISSION - the integral promotion of the person according to a pedagogy inspired by the Cristian values and the social doctrine of the Church; - the promotion of a culture based on the welcoming and acceptance, dialogue, peace and solidarity, with a focus on sustainable development; - the promotion of volunteering and cooperation for development and international solidarity; - the promotion of cultural and intercultural activities in the artistic and cinematographic field with attention to the art of emerging countries and independent cinema. VALUES -centrality of the person with attention to their needs and expectations. -education as a process for development and citizenship; -culture as a resource for development and training; -dialogue between people and cultures; - volunteering as a service for others. INTERVENTION AREAS -training and educational projects for people of any age in Italy, Africa, Asia and South America; -development cooperation projects in Africa, Asia and South America; -international cooperation projects with a focus on education on the field for youth, female work, trainings; -lifelong learning for teachers, educators; youth workers, cultural professionals, volunteers, and families; -awareness courses about cooperation, volunteering, active citizenship, and legality; -projects and initiatives for independent cinema and art development in Africa, Asia and South America as a resource for personal growth, and dialogue between cultures and people ; -awareness initiatives against discrimination and the promotion of a culture of openess and dialogue -experiences of community living COE participates in different federations: FOCSIV, AOI, CoLomba, Milano Film Network, and SIGNIS. COE has many years of experience in educational and training projects, cultural and artistic activities promoted in Italy and abroad, international programs of cooperation and volunteering. SCHOOL AND EDUCATION School is the privileged place of COE’s activities, where many projects are implemented for students and teachers in a nonformal way to promote a culture of solidarity and welcoming. In the present, COE is involved in the “Green School” project in the region of Lombardy for sustainable development. This is co-founded by AICS, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. The project aims to promote knowledge of environmental topics on the civil society, and to encourage attitudes, actions and forms of active participation of students, population and Lombard institutions, aimed to protect the environment, fight climate change and mitigate the anthropic impact. For over thirty years, COE has been offering schools the cinematography of Africa, Asia and Latin America as an instrument of knowledge of cultures. From this experience, Mi World Young Film Festival - MiWY a real festival entirely dedicated to the world of school- was born. Activities are implemented at schools or at the headquarters of COE, but the attention of COE is addressed to each educational agency with different training proposals for specific areas of intervention and purposes. For libraries, summer camps, oratories and catechesis courses for children, COE studies proposals for global education, for opening and welcoming of the other, and for the growth of a more serene and inclusive society. ART AND CULTURE COE’s proposal of education through art has always been understood as a concrete need to promote an overall perspective of life and problems, such as the ability to grasp connections and interdependence, strengthening the sense of belonging to a common ground, and the spirit of respect, understanding and solidarity. Intercultural education through works of art created by artists from different countries was promoted by COE through the Association's Cooperation and Development Projects. These have created a valuable richness in cultures and people. This was born thanks to Don Francesco Pedretti (a founder of COE), in the 80’s, due to the desire to share with young people, adults, families, but also with institutions such as school, anticipating what subsequently became a social and educational need. From that moment on, many different initiatives have been implemented in the field of art galleries, cinematography and craft exhibitions as a tool of cultural knowledge and human education. Since 2003, COE organizes and promotes the FESCAAL (Cinema Festival of Africa, Asia and Latin America), as a way of interconnection and dialogue between different cultures. VOLUNTEERING One of COE’s values is based on volunteering and the service for humanity. Since 2003, COE has been promoting Italian Civil Service in Italy and foreign countries, accompanying every year young people from 18-29 years old in a one year experience of their life to promote a culture of service, dialogue and solidarity. The National Civil Service is the result of a path born from the Conscientious Objection, of which it inherited the values of non-violence and active citizenship and which has changed over time and with the evolution of the third sector in Italy and International Cooperation. COE interprets the Civil Service Programme as a year of personal and professional growth, of dialogue and exchange with people of different cultures, of sharing the ideals and values of the association. The commitment is mainly in the areas of education, art and culture, and youth animation. Since 2003, 103 boys and girls have worked for us in 12 different locations in Italy, Camerun, Guatemala and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.