Close in the Distance


: 7 janv. 2025


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A propos

Close in the Distance is a non-profit organization founded in 2022, originally emerging as an informal civic group of people who now reside across various parts of Italy and Europe, but primarily between Milan and Palermo. 

Our working group is composed by tutors, psychotherapists, educators, trainers, family mediators, and volunteers who, alongside their professional careers, have always been committed to volunteer work and activism. During the COVID years, we became more involved in online volunteering, digital social work, and ongoing education and training in virtual formats. We all come from the non-profit sector, ongoing education, and social project design, bringing with us diverse experiences in supporting diversity and inclusion for young people and adults, including those in vulnerable or disadvantaged situations, at risk of disengagement, or simply without the means or direct access to educational and training activities or individual guidance and support services.

Our origins lie in digital volunteering and family support during the pandemic, where virtual environments became hubs for connection and resilience. These platforms became the foundation for our online LGBTIQA+ activism, offering guidance to individuals coming out for the first time and supporting families navigating pandemic-induced challenges. Later on, our work expanded to include training programs, particularly for public organization staff, leveraging virtual tools to foster learning and connection. 

Our Mission: Digital Inclusion, Gender Equality, and European Values in Adult Education and Workplaces

We work as psychotherapists, tutors, educators, family and parenting mediators, volunteers, and trainers, driven by a shared commitment to promote a healthy, conscious, and inclusive approach to everyday digital culture. Our efforts align with European values of inclusion, support, and the celebration of diversity, fostering awareness and developing skills to uphold these principles. 

Specifically, we focus on:

Activities, programs, and projects strongly focused on feminist and queer perspectives, along with broader SOGIESC topics, working primarily to introduce these concepts into professional and social environments, with a focus on psychological services and family counseling.

1. Awareness-raising activities on everyday digital life, promoting the integration and use of virtual tools, including video games and digital roleplay, in contexts ranging from therapeutic support to family counseling. We also use these tools to convey, in a broader way, essential civic, democratic, and diversity-inclusive skills and values.

2. Initiatives that counter the negative effects of the digital world, such as new forms of addiction to gaming or social media, through resources and workshops held both in person and, primarily, online. We also train other professionals and public and private prevention centers in this field. 

3. Identity support and affirmation activities, especially for young LGBTIQA+ individuals, reaching and engaging them mainly online, offering not only a listening ear but also resources and empowerment pathways, role models, and helpful information, particularly in cases of discrimination, bullying, and abuse, whether by peers or family.

4. European Values Literacy, delivered through formal, non-formal, and informal pathways, both online and offline, with a particular focus on young people and adults with limited awareness or understanding in this area.Although still a "less experienced organization," we have acquired significant expertise in the Erasmus+ Program and Cooperation Partnerships, effectively acting as a competent lead organization.

Close in the Distance is particularly interested in participating, both as a Leading Organization and as a Partner Organization, in calls promoted by the Erasmus+ Program of the European Commission in the ADU, VET, YOU, and SCH sectors, under both Key Action 1 and Key Action 2.
In this regard, our Erasmus+ projects and initiatives so far include:

Pitch Perfect (KA210): This project aims to provide individuals involved in counseling and tutoring with a learning pathway focused on LGBTIQA+ inclusion. It emphasizes enhancing linguistic, communicative, and relational skills, and develops educational resources related to board games and digital art to create more inclusive work settings. 

Gaming and Parents (KA210): This initiative offers parents tools and resources to navigate the digital gaming world, promoting a conscious and healthy integration of video games into daily family life. It addresses potential risks and explores important themes to better manage digital life within the family. 

Adventures are Better Shared! (KA210): This project develops familiarization pathways for tutors, educators, volunteers, and social workers on Gaming Education. It promotes the use of commercial video games to enhance transversal skills, inclusion, emotional well-being, and self-esteem, aiming to improve civic, emotional, and cognitive abilities through gaming. 

 

Mots clés et domaine d'activité:

 Égalité des sexes
 Groupes minoritaires
 Erasmus+
 Apprentissage tout au long de la vie
 Culture numérique
 Politique européenne
 Psychologie

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