Recreational therapy for fragile youth, the Dynamo Camp project and the CDP Foundation

Recreational therapy for fragile youth, the Dynamo Camp project and the CDP Foundation

More than 1,000 young people in Naples with serious illnesses or socially excluded involved
 

Over the past year more than 1,000 children and young people in fragile conditions and their families have benefited from the leisure and fun-filled activities at the heart of the project “Dynamo City Camp in Naples: the ongoing impact of Recreational Therapy for the most fragile”, which aims to support those living with illness or in difficult social situations.

The initiative is promoted by the Dynamo Camp Foundation and the CDP Foundation, which told us about everything they've been able to accomplish, thanks also to the hospitality of the Municipality of Naples. The city guaranteed free space for the organisation of the activities at the Casa della Socialità, where the event presenting the results of the partnership was held.

Meeting participants heard from Chiara Marciani, Councillor for Youth and Employment Policies of the Municipality of Naples, Serena Porcari, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dynamo Camp ETS Foundation, and Francesca Sofia, General Manager of the CDP Foundation.

The collaboration between the Dynamo Camp Foundation and the CDP Foundation, initiated in 2023, has the goal of establishing the first Dynamo City Camp in the city of Naples, a permanent, free and equipped physical space to support girls and boys with serious pathologies or in situations of social exclusion, also thanks to the training and hiring of local staff.

Currently the project offers a temporary City Camp, running for seven weeks until 2 August. In the first year local associations took part in the initiative, including La Casa di Matteo, Il Borgo Sociale, La Tenda, Il Chiostro, A Ruota Libera, L’Albero delle Storie, Il Giardino dei Mille Colori and the Associazione Genitori Insieme. These activities also involved the paediatric wards of the city's main hospitals.

For more than 17 years the Dynamo Camp Foundation has been offering its recreational therapy method throughout Italy, working on projects for children's inclusiveness, aimed in particular at youth with serious or chronic illnesses, neurodevelopment disorders and other disabilities. These are goals that coincide with the mandate of the CDP Foundation, chaired by Giovanni Gorno Tempini, which has been supporting the growth of future generations since 2020.

“The Municipality of Naples has always been committed to creating opportunities for young people, especially in recent years. We work even harder when young people with frailties are involved, and the search for new prospects led us to the Dynamo Camp and CDP Foundations, making it possible to establish a synergy with them as we collaborate to achieve our shared objectives. We believe that this project will result in new and important opportunities for young Neapolitans”, said Councillor for Youth and Employment Policies of the City of Naples Chiara Marciani.
 
"Thanks to the CDP Foundation for supporting the development of Dynamo Camp's programmes in the area for the benefit of vulnerable children and their families. Together we have the goal of creating the first permanent Dynamo City Camp in the city of Naples, an accessible and inclusive place that will provide free support to the families of the most fragile”, noted Maria Serena Porcari, CEO of Dynamo Camp ETS Foundation. "This year", she added, "we have laid the foundation by building a local network, working with associations rooted in the area and involving and training staff from the community. We were warmly welcomed. Thanks also to the municipality and Councillor Marciani for hosting us at the Casa della Socialità, believing in our project”.
 
"Since its inception, the CDP Foundation has made a commitment to stand by younger generations. We’re proud that thanks to our collaboration with the Dynamo Foundation in just one year we have been able to provide assistance to over 1,000 children and young adults in the Campania region, where many are in need of this type of service. This initiative has allowed us to bring the Recreational Therapy method to Naples, a key city for our Foundation, where we currently have 12 projects under way”, said Francesca Sofia, General Manager of the CDP Foundation.

Related projects