In 2023, the Foundation has primarily focused its philanthropic action and engagement on different fronts, tensed between its operational continuity – supporting its partners in the implementation of diverse artistic projects in contexts of marginalization, social suffering, and health distress – and the outline of an evolving and strategic trajectory to overcome the conventional grantmaking approach while unveiling its role as “connector” and “strategic partner”.
During the past year, the Foundation has, de facto, supported several projects in Bosnia-Herzegovina (Musicians Without Borders), Greece (El Sistema Greece, Greek Council for Refugees, RED NOSES International), Spain (The Red Pencil Europe) and Switzerland (Save the Children Schweiz) that, within a bottom-up approach and using various artistic languages, responded to the current migration crisis affecting Europe since 2015, and more particularly the Mediterranean.
At the same time, it has stimulated the launch of innovative research projects as a tool to systemize scientific and methodological approaches, as well as to disseminate/exchange arts-based best practices and experiences.
Simultaneously, it has fostered the creation of widened alliances between two of the Foundation’s long-standing partners (El Sistema Greece and Greek Council for Refugees) to build operational-strategic synergies between the two organizations, establish a relational incubator of participatory arts-based good practices, and create bridges of dialogue between the different migrant communities living in the multiethnic neighborhoods of Exarchia and Kypseli (Athens).
In fine, it has facilitated the meeting and encouraged the creation of networks between the Orchestra Sinfonica dei Quartieri Spagnoli (Partner of Fondazione Alta Mane Italia) and El Sistema Greece, supporting the participation of the latter to the 1° Workshop della città di Napoli su José Antonio Abreu (Naples, October 20-21, 2023) to endorse a process of exchange and confrontation between the two organizations on their respective intervention experiences and methodologies based on music as a tool for opening up new realities, as well as offering a different space were beauty, hope, inclusion and social change are possible.
Regarding the co-partnerships, in 2023, the Foundation confirmed the suspension of the partnership agreements managed by Fondazione Alta Mane Italia (AMI), a decision already undertaken in 2019 and reiterated in 2020/2022.
Greek Council for Refugees
In relation thereto, reminder is given that these are three-way contracts between Fondation Alta Mane, AMI and the beneficiaries (Partners), according to which:
- Alta Mane Italia supports the Partners during the start-up/implementation of their projects throughout varied and complex social or hospital conditions, monitoring and assessing the sustained activities as well as the future conditions of sustainability of the Partner;
- Fondation Alta Mane supports the aforementioned beneficiaries through donations preceded by the usual verifications.
The sector of intervention remains the use of art in situations of extreme social marginalization and hospitalization of young people due to serious pathologies
OTHER DONATIONS
In addition to the above mentioned organizations, in 2023, Alta Mane continued to support the Fondation Privée des HUG (Geneva, Switzerland) renewing its grant to the music-therapy project successfully implemented since 2019 at l’Hôpital des Enfants des HUG; and art27- Musicians Without Borders, renewing its support to art27 Network, identified in Vol.2 “Arts and Culture at the Core of Philanthropy” (Philea, 2023) as one of the best initiatives using art as a tool for social change and inclusion.
NEW DONATIONS
Additionally, the Foundation extended and diversified its collaboration with Greek Council for Refugees, one of the Foundation’s partners since 2021, granting the translation into English and Arabic and the dissemination of the book “Do I Have the Right to Tell a Story?” (Anna Mertzani, Apopeira Publications, Athens, 2011), a children’s book based on the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989) aiming to raise awareness among children, along with their families and teachers, on the importance of the protection and promotion of children’s rights.
In conclusion and in brief, 11 projects received direct donations from the Foundation, out of which 2 Partners were based in Switzerland (Geneva and Zurich Cantons) and 6 abroad (Austria, Belgium, Greece and The Netherlands).
