La Scuola dei Quartieri

La Scuola dei Quartieri - The School of Neighborhoods (SdQ https://lascuoladeiquartieri.it/) is an initiative of the Municipality of Milan. It is a training and support program for social innovation experimentation, which has led to the creation of 56 non-profit organizations across the city’s neighborhoods. Conceived and developed by citizens, these organizations address local needs, are designed to be economically sustainable, improve quality of life, and contribute to a more vibrant, inclusive, and beautiful city. To achieve this goal, the program established a “safe” environment where people, thanks to a financial support, could test and refine their ideas applying a service design, hands-on, approach in vulnerable contexts. Supported with conceptual and operational tools, participants were then encouraged to pursue their passions while generating shared value in connection with existing local organizations. The SdQ engaged over 2500 people and collaborated with 370 organizations.