Pitch

When we were proposed the participation in the ASOC 2021-2022 project, we chose to monitor the project "Freeland Leontinoi”. This project has provided the redevelopment of an asset confiscated from the mafia through the construction of an accommodation facility, managed directly by a real social enterprise. This project has given us the opportunity to learn more about the history of our territory. We found all the information we needed on the ASOC platform and on OpenRegio, a website where all the data are available,  thanks to the collaboration of the professional employees of the technical office of the municipality of Lentini. The fundamental objective was to verify the real destination of the European funds and the actual social utility of the works carried out with them.

In the design phase we created our own identity as a team: assigning roles and tasks; making the necessary presentations; realising the logo of our team recalling Trinacria, the ancient name of Sicily, and the Lion, the symbol of our town. Secondly, we analysed the phenomenon of the assets confiscated from mafias and their reuse on a provincial, regional and national scale, verifying that it is not obvious that civil society has the ability to regain possession of something that can contribute to improving it. The monitoring visit represented the highest point when we met all the protagonists of this magnificent adventure and  their joyful awareness of joining a revolutionary action: a place where criminal events were planned had turned into a small earthly paradise of legality.

Although the project was completed, what emerged from the interviews with the responsible technicians, was the possibility to request further interventions to redevelop that part of the land that has not been reused due to the run out of the available funds. Since the site allows to be taken advantage of for the organisation of cultural events of various kinds, we would like to promote initiatives involving young people, not only of our territory and, at the same time, we would like to stimulate local administration to complete what has been undertaken and concluded with such a great success.