ABOUT

Entropia Cultural Association, founded in 1997, promotes cultural exchange and active citizenship through several activities. It has already developed awareness campaigns on issues of social interest (work, environment, drugs, peace, migrants, etc.) with the aim of stimulating reflection and debate among young people, their critical sense and their education as active and conscious citizens.

Since 2004 the association has been managing DAM, a space of around 200 square meters located in the Campus of the University of Calabria and equipped with different environments: movie/theater, study room, computer room, meeting room. A project of Universal Civil Service is ongoing (and others like ‘Live Campus’, ‘From Student to Citizen’ have taken place in lasts years); ‘Studenti senza frontiere/ NoBorder Students’, Universal Civil Service, is addressed to Campus community and its main aims are the inclusion of international students and the promotion of internationalization in the campus and among Italian students. To perceive those aims Entropia provides long lasting programs with weekly meeting, such as language exchanges and  jam session, to promote socialization, language, and cultural exchange, as well as single events related to particular themes or occurrences, constantly providing  support for the international community. 

The DAM works both as a cultural center and as a service center and every day hosts many Italian and foreign students, who find welcoming, information and orientation services realized through a constant front-office activity; take part in theater, writing and photography workshops, and the many evening initiatives, such as debates, book presentations, exhibitions, seminars, film festivals, concerts, theatrical performances, jam sessions, parties. The space is also a meeting corner for dozens of local artists, musicians and actors, who use the rehearsal room, participate in the initiatives, propose projects and activities in collaboration with the Association. Moreover Entropia edits the University newspaper “Fatti Al Cubo”, published online and occasionally printed. 

In recent years, due to the presence of some international students on the staff, the interest of the Association for intercultural activities has grown. International parties, international jam sessions, international movies festival. For the past four years, Entropia has been promoting international youth exchanges within the European Erasmus + Program, KA1: many topics were discussed during the exchanges, from active citizenship to youth unemployment, the integration of migrants, and the rural economy. Seven different projects, involved in intercultural activities more than 100 participants from 9 european countries (Italy, Romania, Lithuania, Croatia, Poland, Greece, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Spain). All these experiences have allowed the Association to get in touch with the world of international projects, to appreciate its richness in cultural terms, to perceive the difficulties of integration, to plan initiatives aimed at involvement, to monitor the results.

Entropia has a central role in intercultural dynamics of its area, being able  to favor spontaneous aggregation and socialization among peers, beyond linguistic, cultural and religious barriers in those years. The efforts and practices of inclusion in which different groups or individuals having different backgrounds are culturally and socially accepted and welcomed, and equally treated are several and always include the promotion of European value. Workshop and laboratories to work with youngster and help in improving skills and abilities in informal environment of human and professional development, as well as activities to discover and rethink the surrounding areas with a “European breath” e.g. Course for reporters (2014), International movies festival Cinefilo (2017, 2018, 2019), Urban trekking (2019), Theatre festival Microteatro (2017, 2019). 

Since 2004 Entropia established partnerships with other association with which it shares aims and mission all over Europe, realizing the following Youth Exchange project thanks to Erasmus+ program:  

- Ace for young 2014 youth exchange on active citizenship

- Yaw youth at work 2015 youth exchange about youth entrepreneurship  

- Work for the future 2016 youth exchange on employability and entrepreneurial spirit  

- Peace 2016 youth exchange on cooperation

- Rural Up! 2017 youth exchange about digital development of rural areas

- Ies 2018 youth exchange on social inclusion

- Lusitania 3.0 2018 youth exchange as sending organization in Spain

- Reflex 2019 youth exchange about European values through photography

- Tell me your story 2019 youth exchange  as sending organization in Hungary, on storytelling against hate speech.