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"Un luogo amico, capace di sviluppare e sostenere
attività cultural, sociali ed economiche delle donne" |
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 The history of the Alma Mater Centre began on the 8th March, 1990 with the meeting of a group of women belonging to La casa delle donne (“The Women's House”) in Turin and a group of migrant women. Together
these women set out on the ambitious project of creating an intercultural centre for women. Taking its name from the former school building in which it is located, the Alma Mater Centre was opened in December 1993 thanks to the efforts of native and migrant women alike, and the support and commitment of the City Council of Turin, the President of the VI City District, the Regional Commission for Equal Opportunities, several women’s associations and women involved in the trade union movement.
The Centre is run by an intercultural association set up specially for the occasion, called Alma Terra. It is designed to be a place where practical and symbolic cross-cultural exchange between women and the city, between women themselves, and through workshop activities.
The Alma Mater Centre is a space and home for the many projects and desires of the various women who worked to build the centre, and the many other women who continue to dream up and create projects, sharing their aims with others and taking joint responsibility together.
The overriding idea guiding the Alma Mater project is to overthrow the stereotype of immigrants as people in need. Through cross-cultural exchange and learning, migrant women have been able to re-value and
bring to the fore their individual talents and resourcefulness, often latent or underdeveloped, so as to use their skills and abilities in organised projects promoting participation and co-operation in a range of fields, including business, with a view to achieving self-determination.
This was the driving motivation that led to the creation of courses for cultural mediators. Cultural mediators are communication professionals who act as an interface between migrant women and city offices and services, to help bridge the gap between the two. Their importance has brought them to become the alter ego of the Alma Mater project, representing pivotal figures for cultural integration. Cultural mediation activities are conducted by migrant women themselves, through their skilling and qualification for the profession. In addition to this, projects have been put into place to break down the barriers of vocational segregation, and place migrant women into skilled positions in banks, the IT and retail sectors, and in reskilling courses for health and beauty professionals.
The Alma Mater Centre was also conceived as a supporting framework for migrant women in coping with their health and emotional needs in times of difficulty. Such support is provided via the promotion of economic independence through business activities, and with the help of our cultural mediators.
The Turkish Bath or Hammam – the first of its kind to have been opened in Italy – was created precisely with this spirit. The hammam is a place for the care and treatment of the body, as dictated by Arab tradition, and a privileged space for female rituals, in particular during pregnancy and after childbirth.
Through the reproduction of a fragment of material culture and of female relational space, cultural awareness and exchange can be understood not only as theoretical and abstract concepts, but lived in practice, through experiences leading to empowerment.
The Alma Terra Association is funded with the contribution of public and private institutions, in particular banking foundations, membership fees, funding for projects conducted in partnership with other entities, and revenues earned from cultural mediation and other services provided. |
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| Centro Interculturale delle Donne Alma Mater - Via Norberto Rosa13/a - Torino - Tel. 011/2467002 |
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