1 2 3 We Start ODV, a volunteer association, was founded in 2015 from an intuition by its founder, Carolina Goretti, with the aim of creating free civic and social projects within schools and community spaces. The beating heart of the association is relational art, understood as a tool for building bonds, generating collective awareness, and regenerating public spaces through active participation.
In 2021, the association found its home in the Monte Mario neighborhood of Rome, at Via Aristide Gabelli 39, where it activated a space open to the neighborhood, serving as a reference point for children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. All activities are free and peer-to-peer, carried out with the direct commitment of the community, promoting widespread, inclusive education based on the exchange of skills and knowledge.
Over time, 1 2 3 We Start has created continuous weekly workshops aimed at children and adolescents, focusing on fundamental themes for personal and collective growth. Among the most significant projects:
* Year 1: Collective writing and illustration of a story set in Piazza Guadalupe, with the participation of writer Abdou Diouf, art therapist Greta Centra, and Carolina Goretti. Activities for urban green care, planting, and nature observation were also initiated.
* Year 2: Exploration of the territory through emotional maps drawn by children and adolescents, who described the most significant places in the neighborhood. The project also involved young people arriving from Ukraine, offering a valuable intercultural exchange.
* Year 3 (ongoing): The chosen theme is "I Express Myself with My Body," with reflections on bodily identity, expression, and non-verbal communication, through artistic practices and the analysis of the work of performers and artists who have used the body as a language.
Numerous shared artistic projects have led to exhibitions open to the neighborhood, as well as initiatives linking art, nature, and human relationships. Among the most significant collaborations and pathways:
* Collective embroidery workshops led by artist Paola Valenzano, dedicated to reflecting on social issues through the weaving of shared narratives.
* Composition workshops led by artist Paola Marinelli using natural elements, a practice for eyes and hands to unleash creativity.
* Sound explorations with Maestro Valerij Voskobojnikov, for conscious and communal listening.
* Workshops between art and nature led by artist Caterina De Mango, in dialogue with seasonal cycles.
* Photography workshops led by Massimo Brandi, Gianfranco Lunardo, and Maria Francesca Bottari, which explored both analog and digital techniques, connecting photographic practice with memory and territorial identity.
* Autobiographical journey through collage and books with artist Chiara Amici, aimed at adults: a workshop for personal and collective exploration, where image, word, and gesture intertwine to build intimate and shared visual narratives.
* Projects with the Cobragor social cooperative, together with Ilaria Mazzoni, for environmental and inclusive education.
* Artistic experiments on paper and silk with artists Monika Kosior and Simona De Marinis.
* The collective work Zoe, presented in places like Villa Sciarra and the Casa Internazionale delle Donne, which addresses universal themes through the language of participatory art.
123 We Start intends to become, over time, a web platform capable of facilitating the sharing of grassroots activities and individual skills, strengthening social and creative networks.
In line with the thinking of Joseph Beuys and Maria Lai, we believe that building an inclusive, creative, and resilient community is a true form of art today. In this sense, our practice is a "social sculpture" in continuous evolution, where every collective gesture contributes to shaping new possibilities for coexistence, regeneration, and transformation.
