Italiano in rete: a participatory project

The objective of this chapter is to present the Italiano in rete project which was submitted to the national tender from the European Fund for the Integration of third-countries. Eight institutions took part, led by the Municipality of Venice, while scientific coordination was entrusted to the University Language Centre of Ca’ Foscari, Venice: the eight partners worked together to create blanket coverage for the needs of a disadvantaged L2 target group across the Venetian territory with regard to Italian language and culture. The project's success can be attributed in particular to a synergy of strengths and intentions. The first section of the chapter is devoted to a chronicle of this project and its facts and figures; the second section explains the role played by the University Language Centre, its coordination and the design of common materials and courses; the third and final section analyses the results of interviews conducted with the beneficiaries.