Addiopizzo was born 11 years ago in Catania. It has been 11 years of activity, of small and large results, of effort, but always of enthusiasm.
The idea of "Farewell”Was born in Palermo in 2004 and was shared and re-proposed also in Catania in 2006. The name of the association speaks clearly, and speaks of anti-racket. Farewell Catania, however, does not only deal with this, on the contrary!
There are many activities in which the association is engaged and they concern everyone: traders, students, citizens.
The Critical Consumption Project
The Critical Consumption project is based on an idea that is as simple as it is revolutionary. The idea is to network the consumer with the entrepreneur, the trader, the freelancer. Who decides to publicly declare not to pay the lace. The consumer, in fact, is often unaware of how much it can affect thanks to his economic power. How much strength it can give to those who do not intend to submit to the imposition of lace. In the past, and in any case in small and peripheral centers, whoever complained was isolated from the consumers themselves.
By joining the critical consumption project, on the other hand, the operator publicly declares not to pay the protection payment. AND undertakes to report any extensive request. And the consumer undertakes, albeit only morally, to support and prefer it in their consumption. Currently there are about 130 activities "lace free ”and over 6.000 critical consumers in Catania and the Province. These are results that, 20 years ago, would have been unthinkable.
However, there can be no denunciation or assumption of responsibility without spreading the culture of legality, the exercise of historical memory and solidarity.
"The mafia will be defeated by an army of elementary teachers"
That's why Farewell Catania organizes meetings in schools and universities. Bringing as witnesses a magistrate and an entrepreneur who denounced the lace. On the other hand, someone ... said that "The mafia will be defeated by an army of elementary teachers".
In addition to the schools project Farewell Catania also confronts the students with the “I remember” project. In Catania, in particular on the wall of the city prison, in front of a middle school, Farewell Catania depicted the faces of the Catania mafia victims. But also the victims of the Capaci and Via d'Amelio massacres on some beautiful murals. This is where Farewell Catania brings the boys to tell them who those victims were. Because they were killed and because thanks to their sacrifice things have changed, they are changing and can change. Also thanks to an important cultural effort by everyone.
Attention to the issue of confiscated companies
Farewell Catania is also the assignee of a property confiscated from the mafia. An apartment now entitled "House of Beppe, Ninni and Roberto" (Beppe Montana, Ninni Cassarà and Roberto Antiochia, policemen of the Palermo Mobile Squad who fell by the mafia). Thanks to the work of the volunteers Farewell Catania has made a Mafia-owned apartment an outpost of legality. Reference point for the young people of the neighborhood, who, for example, were involved with the project “A lesson at the house of Beppe, Ninni and Roberto” (a free after-school program for elementary school children).
With the project "Lo Scaffale delle Storie" (a video library / film library open to the children of the neighborhood), with the "Cine legalità" project (a cineforum organized for the children of a family home) and with the project "It can be done" ( within which meetings were organized between the children of the foster home and all those professional / working figures in which they reflect or hope to become).
Farewell Catania is also very attentive to the issue of confiscated companies, their management and the fate of their employees. The legislation on this point, in fact, is very lacking, and the managements of these companies are too often bankrupt.
Solidarity: the project "Let's give (us) a smile"
Finally, Farewell Catania also deals with solidarity. To give a concrete hand, also through the participation of citizens and schools, to the associations present in difficult territories. To family homes, parishes and disadvantaged families, it means bringing legality with concrete gestures. It means explaining in a simple way that there are realities other than criminal ones. This is the “Give (us) a smile” project, which every year, during the Christmas period, allows toys and basic necessities to be delivered to those in need.
Today, Farewell Catania also has two other projects underway. The first is a reform proposal on the subject of certainty of the sentence. This is a petition, deposited in the Chamber and the Senate, which can be joined by clicking and signing here: https://goo.gl/v8sLHN
Recently, in order to redevelop the important territories of this city, Farewell Catania supported the initiative of some citizens of Santa Tecla (Acireale) aimed at creating a playground for children.
This initiative is also about to be implemented in Catania, at the Dusmet Village. Farewell Catania has raised the necessary funds for the construction of the playground with a crowfunding campaign.
The association believed, in fact, that there could not be a better way to celebrate these 10 years of activity, than by making a small gift to the city, with the involvement of everyone, with the social redemption of a community, which has the right and the duty to take care of this land.
