From 11 to 12 October 2026, a study visit by young people from three cities in Croatia to Reggio Emilia, Italy, was organised as part of the “Community Potentials” Programme, implemented by the National Foundation for Civil Society Development since 2024.
During their two-day stay in Reggio Emilia, representatives of the City of Zadar, together with teachers and students from Ante Kuzmanić Medical School in Zadar, Vice Vlatković Vocational School in Zadar, Biograd na Moru Secondary School and Bartul Kašić Secondary School on the island of Pag, took part in an intensive programme of experience-sharing and presentations of numerous examples of good practice from this Italian local community. The aim was to explore good practices in youth social entrepreneurship and the involvement of young people in sustainable community development processes. The programme was locally organised by Fondazione E35, a foundation established in 2015 with the aim of strengthening the international and European dimension of Reggio Emilia and its local community.
The first day of the programme included meetings with representatives of Officina Educativa – the Municipality of Reggio Emilia’s Department for Territorial Educational Services and the Right to Education, which supports youth initiatives, the use of community spaces and activities that foster skills development; a presentation of the IDEEC project (Entrepreneurial Education for Children and Young People), aimed at supporting teachers, educators and policymakers in the fields of education and economics in designing effective programmes to develop entrepreneurial skills among children and young people, empowering them to drive positive social and environmental change; an introduction to the work of Laboratorio Aperto as a centre for social innovation, participation and knowledge exchange; the activities of Cooperativa Accento, a social cooperative primarily active in education, children's and youth services, and community services; and a presentation of the results of the Bella Copia project, which focuses on creativity, participation and youth engagement, providing young people with opportunities to develop ideas and projects through collaborative and community-based activities.
Following these presentations, young people from the participating schools, as well as representatives of the City of Zadar, presented their experiences to date and the results of their social entrepreneurship initiatives. In the afternoon, participants visited another significant local destination – La Polveriera, a revitalised urban and social centre in Reggio Emilia offering a wide range of services and initiatives, including social and healthcare services, employment support, intercultural mediation, social entrepreneurship and community spaces. In addition to touring the facilities, participants were introduced to the activities of ARCI Reggio Emilia, a local social and cultural organisation with more than 50 years of experience, bringing together around 140 local clubs and more than 30,000 members across the province. The organisation supports its members through coordination, advocacy, and administrative and organisational services.
On the second day, participants visited two secondary schools in Castelnovo ne’ Monti, near Reggio Emilia: Cattaneo Dall’Aglio and Nelson Mandela. Both schools are notable for their innovative approach to youth education, which incorporates the educational philosophy known as the Reggio Emilia Approach, encouraging young people and students to explore, discover and learn through creative methods.
The study visit enabled participants to broaden their knowledge, exchange experiences and gain inspiration for developing innovative initiatives in their own communities in Croatia, thereby further contributing to the effective implementation of the Community Potentials Programme.
