Italy: Civil society gather in Padova for the thirteenth edition of Civitas fair

The agora of Italian civil society, Civitas, an event now in its thirteenth edition, will take over Padova?s fair grounds between the 8-11 May and fill it with stands, workshops and seminars. This year the governing theme will be human rights, in remembrance of the 60th anniversary since the signing of the Declaration of Human Rights and of the Italian constitution.

Civitas organisers have, this year, set themselves an impressive goal: to celebrate and debate upon the achievements, best practices and challenges related to three specific rights. The right to employment, to a healthy environment and to peace. ?Focusing on a constructive vision?, says Edo Patriarca, the event?s cultural coordinator, ?is fundamental for today?s third sector. It helps to understand what direction our country is moving towards. Our world has lost much of its capacity to look at things from an overall perspective: we have gained in visibility (resources, laws and bodies dedicated to the third sector have all increased) but if we limit ourselves to pointing fingers and striving to meet our individual goals, we risk ending up becoming corporate?, concludes Patriarca.

So, bring on the debate and the thinking caps. Friday morning the theme will be the Italian Constitution, focusing on those sections that deal with employment, peace and the environment. Faces as diverse as those of unionists (Giorgio Santini, for Cisl), businessmen (Massimo Carraro), architechts (Bruno Gabbiani), and university professors (Antonio Papisca), will sit, together with students from local highschools, around the same round table in order to rewrite the three section?s in the nation?s constitution that deal with these three fundamental rights. The key to a redrafting of the guiding principles? Hope. Their work will be followed up, on Saturday, by Giuseppe De Rita, president of the social and economic research centre Censis and Stefani Zamagni, president of the governmental agency that in Italy regulates non profit status, the ?Agenzia delle Onlus?.

As in previous years, the social economy will take the centre stage: its theory, and its practice. ?Most importantly it will be analysed through non profit eyes, looking at social enterprise and at households?, explains Antonio Sambo, who is in charge of coordinating the event. The feasible mix ? at least, this is what the organisers propose ? of competition and solidarity, will be the theme of the seminar promoted by Luigino Bruni, political economy professor at Milan?s Bicocca University. But the ?good? economy, and its best practices, will have a chance to catch the public?s eye also through the 350 stands, the various workshops and numerous laboratories that will crowd the fair grounds. ?Fifteen enterprises will demonstrate their productive processes and, all time first for Civitas, the pastoral social services will also have their own space?, highlights Sambo.

The full social monty, then. Down to the very last, and even creative, details. On Thursday Pamela Villoresi will present a music and theatre show about universal human rights. Orchestra Terrestre, a world music, multiethnic band, will also bring its music to the fair, and, finally, Sunday night will close the show with a musical about lifestyles: B-live, being is believing, by Gabriele Toso.

To find out more about Civitas

– Social Events at Civitas
– Social Campaigns
– Civitas

To find out more about the themes dealt with at Civitas

Fiscal subsidiarity
– Fiscal subsidiarity takes off in Eastern Europe
–Tax measures for the third sector

Social Enterprise
–5 5,000 social players celebrate Social Enterprise Day
–Italy: Social enterprise finally becomes law

Non profit faces
–Italy: Selene Biffi, Youth Action for Change
–Italy: Gabriele Carchella, Oxfam International Media officer