A long journey of commitment, relationships built day after day and concrete closeness to children and their families: Il Porto dei piccoli celebrates its twentieth anniversary with a special evening entitled “Tutti a bordo!”, scheduled for Tuesday, November 25 at 5:45 PM at the Acquario di Genova.
An event open to those who wish to share this milestone and support the Foundation’s projects, with the special participation of the Coro di Voci Bianche del Teatro Carlo Felice and the singer-songwriter and musician Charlie Risso and with the support of Costa Edutainment, which hosts the evening in the splendid setting of the Acquario di Genova and which has always been by the Foundation’s side.
“The organization was born in 2005 from my idea: to bring the sea where it is not and to those who cannot experience it, from the docks of ports to the corridors of hospitals.” – declares Gloria Camurati Leonardi, Founder and President of Il Porto dei piccoli – “A concrete model that in twenty years has reached over 250,000 children and families. Our goal is to support the quality of life in places of care and in conditions of fragility. We operate with a multidisciplinary team composed of graduates in psychology, pedagogy, motor sciences, biology and artistic disciplines. Furthermore, we introduced for the first time in Italy the Anglo-Saxon professional figure of the Child Play Specialist, creating the training course recognized by the Regione Liguria: an experience we would like to replicate in other regions as well.” – adds Camurati Leonardi.
The Foundation has carried out over 200,000 interventions in more than 20 Italian pediatric institutes, in schools and in the local area. It proposes workshops dedicated to the sea and environmental protection, animal-assisted interventions and the Orto Itinerante in patients’ rooms, to teach children the art of cultivating and caring.
It promotes the formation of the Coro delle Voci Azzurre del Porto dei piccoli, coordinated by maestro Enrico Grillotti, and the traditional outdoor explorations with the Guardia Costiera, the Marina Militare and the Lega Navale Italiana. The activities are divided into the areas Mare dentro, Mare fuori, Mare a casa, Mare a scuola and Mare in rete, the latter dedicated to remote assistance.
Every project integrates play, creativity and relationship, with the aim of reducing anxiety and restoring centrality to the child. Thanks to its supporters, the Foundation also organizes corporate family days to make the workplace an opportunity for shared conviviality.
Today it is present in 8 Italian regions and 25 territorial hubs, starting from the Istituto Giannina Gaslini in Genoa where everything began in 2005, and every year it dedicates thousands of hours of free activities to children and young people.
Among the most significant projects are: Mare dentro, to bring the sea to children in hospital; Gimme Five, animal-assisted interventions in the operational units of the Istituto Gaslini; Maternage Blue Wave, dedicated to children and young people in socially critical situations.
Participation in the evening “Tutti a bordo!” requires a donation starting from 35 euros per family, in support of the Foundation’s projects.
