After a few weeks of volunteering, we can start to identify which will be our main missions and contribution for our organisations. Of course, these missions will evolve all the year, but in this way, you can have a first overview about our daily life in Mentana for the next months with CEAS!
What is CEAS ?
CEAS (Centro Educativo di Accoglienza e Solidarietà) is a social cooperative that brings support to people and families pursuing human promotion and the social integration of citizens.
Through a family house, social housing, educational activities, a farm and various projects, they act to promote and protect the rights of children, adolescents and families.
A lot of projects are developed by the organisation, but we will now focus on the projects that will concern us for the coming weeks.
To know more about CEAS, you can visit their website: https://www.coopceas.it/
The Family House
The Family House is currently welcoming 10 young people aged 9 to 21 with different backgrounds. They are all living together in a big flat, in the same building as the office of the cooperative.
For now, we are just able to chat with them from outside because they are in quarantine due to Covid. As soon as possible, we would be pleased to organize various activities for the children of the house. We already have a lot of ideas to create projects with them around various subjects like human rights or sustainable development. We will be able to support them to start a vegetable garden thanks to a partnership with Leroy Merlin. When the weather and the sanitary situation will permit it, we will also help the people from the house to animate the “Green Bar”. People from the Montessori school besides, or in the surrounding area will be able to spend good time around biological products in the garden of the Family House.
The Social Market
CEAS has also developed a Social Market “Spééso” in Mentana. Families with economic difficulties can choose food and hygienic products they need. Following the health crisis, the number of customers has tripled. The managers of the market also help people in quarantine by buying food for them.
Twice a week, we help Giordana and Carolina to take care of the shop, to fill store shelves, make inventories, buy food or greet customers. In the next few months, we will move the shop to a bigger local. That way, we will be able to develop the activity of the shop and propose new goods like clothes, furniture and maybe books and plants.
The Projects « Inonda » & « Biocook »
Besides their fixed activities, CEAS has also developed some punctual projects to support citizens.
“Inonda” proposes to people with disabilities to create their own journal online and a webradio. Before to start, they realize some interviews with journalists and participate in some educational activities with professionals to develop related skills.
“Biocook” proposes to people to discover the vast world of organic and develop new skills to help them in their professional insertion.
During next months, we will be able to give support, ideas and bring our external point of view to all these projects.