Full member

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Contact information

Via Carlo Dordi, 8 - 38122 Trento
0461 261681

E-mail: fondazione@fovoltn.it

Website: https://www.fovoltn.it/

 

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General information

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Fondazione Trentina per il Volontariato Sociale (Trentino Foundation for Social Volunteering) is a philanthropic organization that:

• Provides financial support to social volunteering projects aimed at helping people in need, working in partnership with local authorities and Third Sector organisations;

• Promotes the culture of volunteering not just as charitable assistance, but as a meaningful expression of unconditional giving and active civic participation;

• Identifies emerging social needs and develops timely, collaborative, and forward-thinking responses that align with ongoing social, cultural, and economic changes.

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What They Do
More specifically, the Foundation:

• Funds projects and training needs of social volunteering associations within the Autonomous Province of Trento;

• Develops its own initiatives to support disadvantaged individuals, including through participation in local, national, and international funding opportunities, while fostering a network-based approach;

• Organises training programs aimed at building more informed and capable volunteer communities, particularly those working alongside vulnerable groups (e.g., prisoners, women and minors in distress, isolated elderly people);

• Promotes and takes part in awareness-raising and solidarity initiatives, in cooperation with public institutions, Third Sector organisations, and private companies;

• Advances the culture of social volunteering through public events, publications, and applied social research projects.

 

Our Values

• Proximity: Being respectfully close — offering help not to feel superior, but to walk the path together.

• Community: Caring for the community as a way to care for individuals.

• Welcoming: Recognising others and creating spaces for shared understanding.

• Solidarity: As Leonard Cohen said, “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” Solidarity means moving together toward that light.

• Mutuality: Creating meaningful encounters between people, where the line between those who help and those who are helped disappears.

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Ongoing projects

• Social Reintegration of Inmates

Since 2018, through the Sex Offender Treatment project developed in partnership with the Trento Correctional Facility, the Foundation has offered individual and group psychotherapy sessions to inmates convicted of sexual offenses, aiming to reduce recidivism and improve well-being within the prison environment. As of 2025, the project has expanded to include post-release
psychological support for individuals serving alternative sentences or reintegrating into society, with the support of specially trained volunteers.

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• Gender Equality and Gender-based Violence Prevention

The Foundation supports training and mentoring programs for volunteers working with women in vulnerable situations — including victims of violence, single mothers, and incarcerated women. The goal is to strengthen local support networks for listening, protection, and inclusion, while creating safe spaces for trust and empowerment.

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• Educational Poverty and Community-Based Learning

Since 2018, the Foundation has led Fuoricentro, a project active in five rural communities in Trentino, supported by 38 partners. The initiative seeks to develop “educating communities” — local networks that support children’s and adolescents’ learning and personal growth — as a response to educational poverty in marginalised areas. The first phase produced a toolkit for collaborative educational planning. The second will formalise a series of local educational agreements to establish a sustainable and replicable model.