The history of the cooperative, named Kara Bobowski in memory of a girl with disabilities, began…

The history of the cooperative, named Kara Bobowski in memory of a girl with disabilities, began in 1992 thanks to a small group of mothers and fathers of “special” children, eager to do something concrete for their kids and for all boys and girls with problems living in their community. In 1987 these families founded a voluntary association G.A.D. – Genitori e Amici dei Disabili (Parents and Friends of the Disable People), which aimed to provide other families with psychological support and information. Thanks to the initiative of some young women, who were members of the G.A.D. association, it was decided to establish the Kara Bobowski Social Cooperative, a real social enterprise, which wanted to guarantee continuity and professionalism to the already developed services and to remain closely linked to the territory. Kara Bobowski (KB) is active mainly in the territory of the Mountain Community “Acquacheta”, which includes the municipalities of Modigliana (where the cooperative has its registered office), Tredozio, Rocca San Casciano, Dovadola and Portico e San Benedetto. This is a hilly and mountainous area, largely rural, with a total population of just over 10,000 inhabitants. The choice to remain rooted in our territory, especially in the field of social services and education, reflects the desire to be a real asset for the community and for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people. The proximity allows us to understand the specific needs expressed by the local territory and then evaluate and design targeted responses in collaboration with the local authorities and the representatives of the third sector. Nowadays, the Cooperative provides services for children and adults with and without disabilities and in disadvantaged situations, in all territory: - Assistance at home and/or school for children and adults with disabilities, in all 5 municipalities; - “La Libellula”: residential and daily centre for people with disabilities, located in Modigliana, where users live and pass their time with therapeutical and educational activities linked with the territory; - “La Coccinella”: workshop laboratory and daily centre for people with disabilities for the creation of handcraft objects to sell online (https://www.laboratoriococcinella.it/) and in the shop located in the centre of Modigliana; - “Domus Kara”: flats for people with difficulties or disabilities to gain autonomy, in Modigliana; - “Il millepiedi”: kindergarten for babies between 12 and 36 months, located in Tredozio; - “Punto X”: after-school centre in Modigliana for kids between 6 and 14 years old and summer camps in all 5 municipalities; - “La Casa di Gaia”: educational and residential centre for mothers in difficult situations with their children, located in Modigliana and Tredozio; - “Alma”: educational and residential centre for young people between 6 and 17 years old took away from the original family, located in Rocca San Casciano; - Information centre for young people. Moreover, since 1997, thanks to the initiative of its President, the Kara Bobowski has opened its doors to Europe in the belief that the best ideas always arise from the comparison with others. Since then, we involved almost 250 young people in volunteering activities, almost 700 young people in traineeships and more than 800 young people in youth exchanges, through sending and hosting projects, always with the concern of include young people with fewer opportunities and/or disabilities. Our values are: - The promotion of social and cultural inclusion; - The enhancement of the positive elements of each person and target groups; - The promotion of the diversity thanks to exchanges and intercultural contacts; - The support of initiatives of active citizenship by young people and adults; - The creation of opportunities for the personal development and training in non-formal and informal contexts for youth and adults; - The education to a culture of peace and solidarity; - The development of a E