PodDARE is a multicultural, multilingual, young, creative space that offers a podcasting platform run by the Municipality of Ravenna. A pluralistic, participatory journey that involves different local organisations, including the Europe Direct Centre for Romagna, the House of Cultures, the Asja Lacis Association and the Social Cooperatives LibrAzione, CIDAS and Sol.Co.

The main goal is to encourage socialisation and the acquisition of advanced digital skills through the podcast. The project came about as part of the DARE programme, financed by the European Union with UIA - Urban Innovative Actions.

The platform has shown itself to be an innovative tool with great potential for engaging young people in Ravenna in various workshops and projects, and a free meeting space to express and share experiences. Groups of teenagers address a range of topics organised into themed sections: "Barbabietole da zucchero”, "Sugar Beet", a geo-historical podcast that describes different countries in each episode, looking at geography, history, politics, culture and traditions; "Concrete", a podcast that speaks about physical and mental walls around the world; "Stories from afar", a multilingual and multicultural podcast that gives a voice to anyone with a story to tell. These are only a few.

The theme of multiculturalism and solidarity is developed within the DARE project and the PodDARE platform in various ways, always with the aim of creating an environment of exchange and reciprocal support, demonstrating that solidarity is a fundamental element in building a more inclusive, welcoming society.
Young people from the SAI network - System for Reception and Integration are often involved, in particular unaccompanied immigrant minors. Through different working areas, such as art, culture, work, tourism and sport, the project collects stories and points of view on Ravenna and the world from young Ravenna inhabitants of diverse origins, promoting multiculturalism and offering an opportunity to give a voice to the different communities in the city. A local project that is open to the world.

We met with Simona Tartaull and Kingsley Ngadiuba, who coordinate PodDARE together, and we asked them some questions to better understand and spread the value of this project.

In your experience, how does PodDARE promote solidarity and inclusion? 

"Making the most of the opportunities offered by podcasting to expand the participants' communication, research and creative thinking skills: this is what we hope to be able to do with our work", responds Simona. "The chemistry and geography created on Fridays at Informagiovani sees young people from all countries, social and educational contexts; an open territory that aims to invite people in with open doors, and tries to give a voice to those who dream of speaking, but also to those who didn't think they were able and discover that they are excellent orators, even with a beautiful voice."

Kingsley adds that "PodDARE has quickly transformed into a safe space for teenagers and young people, because the podcast gives you a voice without showing your face, like a veil that blocks your view but lets the light shine through. It is a form of storytelling that frees and revives people, which can be expressed through speech, direction and especially in editing. The possibility of cutting badly-pronounced words and phrases creates a space for mistakes and laughter that strengthens the foundations of those participating: if you get it wrong, you can say it again, since we'll cut it later. This cutting doesn't mean forgetting, it doesn't mean deleting; it is cutting as a way to grow, and, as mineralogy tells us, you can only grow on top of defects."

How does PodDARE involve foreign young people and encourage social inclusivity? 

Kingsley: "PodDARE doesn't see language as a wall or a barrier; quite the opposite - within the project, participants are always free to choose what language to use for the recording. The use of native languages as a communication and transmission tool is one of the keys to the project. This way, the participants have an incentive to construct a word space that they feel is theirs, alleviating the feeling of uprooting caused by their common experience of immigration, which is often forced and difficult. It is a protected space that offers the opportunity to freely express yourself, without having to expose yourself visually, and without having to worry about not being able to narrate well because you are lacking the linguistic skills."

For Simona, "the aim for this project comes out of the desire to make this recording and word space a virtual home, where home is a space that makes it possible to build different perspectives that are constantly changing; a space where we discover new ways of seeing reality. Where everyone can describe their point of view, their passions and their desires with the opportunity to form networks of friendship and reciprocity and feel part of a group; and they can do this without necessarily having to speak about migration or the difficult experiences that it often involves."

How does PodDARE connect to other solidarity initiatives in the Ravenna area? 

Simona smiles and says that the kids are always very happy to participate, in fact "they can't wait to take part in local initiatives with their programme, live. The first experience was the Ravenna Culture Festival at the city docks, where interviews were held with distinguished guests, along with chats with passers-by: that is where we started. The activity that has so far best embodied the concept of solidarity is definitely our collaboration with the local cooperatives that manage reception projects for MSNA - Foreign Unaccompanied Minors, young people who are just come of age and are received through local SAI MSNA projects, and young adults and adults received through Ordinary SAI Ravenna projects; these young adults and adults have had the desire and curiosity to challenge themselves with the podcast's tools.

What are the results achieved by the PodDARE project in terms of promoting solidarity in the Ravenna area? 

Kingsley, satisfied, affirms: "The project, which has been developed over two years, has consolidated its methods and now aims to have an increasingly profound, widespread impact within the local community. We want to push further in being a vehicle for both the awareness of multilingualism and multiculturalism, with opportunities to promote and stimulate the interdisciplinary skills of participants, and as a space for cultural exchange, creating young networks based on friendship and reciprocal understanding."

The podcast platform is constantly evolving, open to new ideas, proposals and contributions that aim to enrich the Ravenna area. Anyone interested in the world of podcasts who has an idea to share can send a project to igractions@gmail.com, and will be contacted.