Sofia, Olli and Thea Rasini; Marina Clerici
Innovator
Associazione Campo Base
Italy
Social
Rural Areas
Rural area close to city
The innovation journey
Sofia Rasini, her two sisters and their mother, Marina Clerici, are the managers of the non-profit association Campo Base, which organizes summer camps for children and young adults affected by different, mostly chronic, illnesses.
The family moved between the United Stated and Switzerland for several years. Then, in 2003, after the death of her husband, Marina Clerici moved back to a small rural village close to Riva del Garda, by the Italian Alps, where she inherited an ancient medieval castle, Castel Campo. Marina opened an organic farm by the castle, and then, in 2016, her three daughters joined forces to found the association, which has its venue by the castle itself. Sofia studied medical anthropology and worked for several years as a volunteer for another recreational therapy organization. Her sisters studied theatre and engineering. Sofia recently moved next to the castle with her family, while the two sisters live in other cities and join her only for the association’s activities.
The camps involve different outdoor activities, cooking workshops, trekking, sailing, bushcraft and climbing. The association is supported mostly by private foundations and donors. Children and their families as well as young people come from all over the world to participate in the camps, and their participation is for free.
The innovation impact
The association collaborates with hospitals and associations, both in Italy and abroad, that support children and young adults living with serious illnesses and coping with psychosocial challenges. They create spaces of growth and self-esteem for these children and their families, generating networks of care. By organizing summer camps based on outdoor activities for children and young people, the managers interweave social and environmental values, showing the potential of such a rural space and creating collaborations and synergies among different local actors and realities (e.g. local farmers, mountain guides, sailing instructors, social workers).