Ascolto Attivo Srl is a firm located in Milan, whose team elaborates and develops processes of participatory planning, conflict management, facilitation, and mediation.
Mission and Purpose
Ascolto Attivo Srl's ("Active Listening") mission is based on society's complexity. Every member is the bearer of a particular gaze and perspective, bringing their own unique values, interests, and principles. This complexity often makes us feel helpless when bitter conflicts seem to trigger autonomously, grow rapidly, and become incurable. [1]
Thus, there is a great need for ways of meeting based on mutual recognition and respect; for decision-making and problem-solving methods that are at the same time constructive of common ground and capable of expanding everyone's choice and initiative. In other words, there is an urgent need for more facilitative leadership, capable of promoting more creativity and more dialogue. It is Ascolto Attivo's belief that a participatory planning and/or training experience has a positive outcome only when at least some of the participants feel they have acquired these skills and are able to practice them in their daily life, to improve them, and spread them. This is the mission and goal of Active Listening, the main criterion for self-evaluation of their interventions. [1]
Origins and Development
Ascolto Attivo Srl originated in 2008 on the initiative of Marianella Sclavi, a pioneer in Italy of the theories and techniques of Active Listening, Creative Conflict Management, Facilitation, and Participatory Planning. Along with Marianella Sclavi, Agnese Bertello and Stefania Lattuille are members of Ascolto Attivo.
Ascolto Attivo Srl has designed and conducted some of the most important participatory planning paths implemented in Italy over the last few years, contributing to disseminating good participatory practices in the country. [2]
Organizational Structure, Membership, and Funding
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Specializations, Methods and Tools
- Creative confrontation
- Open Space Technology – OST
- Future Search Conference
- Town Meeting
- Charrette
- Creative conflict mediation
- Planning for Real
- Participatory Budget
- Visual facilitation
- Public Debate
- The World Cafe [3]
Major Projects and Events
In recent years, other areas of intervention have been added to the theme of urban regeneration—which remains fundamental, not only in large cities, but also in small provincial towns and in internal areas. The most recent projects have concerned common goods, co-housing, and construction of infrastructure or plants. Ascolto Attivo Srl have dealt with, and are particularly happy with, a very delicate issue, such as post-earthquake reconstruction, with a project conducted by SOS—School of Sustainability in Camerino, in the Marche region.
In 2018, they curated, together with a multidisciplinary staff coordinated by Mario Cucinella, the participatory paths for the realization of the projects of Archipelago Italia, presented at the XVI Architecture Biennale in Venice.
Analysis and Lessons Learned
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Publications
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See Also
Camerino Reconstruction Workshop
References
[1] Ascolto Attivo. Perché serve. Retrieved June 6, 2021 from https://www.ascoltoattivo.net/perche/
[2] Ascolto Attivo. Chi siamo. Retrieved June 6, 2021 from https://www.ascoltoattivo.net/chi/
[3] Ascolto Attivo. Come lavoriamo. Retrieved June 6, 2021 from https://www.ascoltoattivo.net/come/