INFOPACK: LACE Land Art for Community Engagement — Empowering Rural Youth | 25th September — 1st October 2024

What to expect from this international youth exchange in Sardinia

Giovani Iddocca

6 min readMay 3, 2024

Dates: 25th SEPTEMBER (arrival day) — 1st October (departure day)

Venue: Laconi (Centre Sardinia), Italy (map)

Organizers: Associazione Culturale Giovani Iddocca

Project partners: Aspira (Slovenia), Experimentaculo (Portugal)

Form to fill: https://forms.gle/uH6uBWZVRNmnemJQA

Project Summary

This youth exchange is part of a cooperation project between international partners that aims to stimulate the active participation of young people, from rural areas, through land art as starting point for increasing the engagement of young people in their local rural communities.

Land art is an art form that involves the creation of sculptures or installations using natural materials such as stones, earth and plants, usually in an outdoor environment. Through land art we will create art installations that beautify public spaces and bring people together in communities.

Land art fosters the development of crucial work skills such as creativity, self-expression, teamwork and problem solving skills, environmental and sustainability awareness, combating social isolation and supporting the mental health and well-being of young people through outdoor activities.

Thanks to the work of the partners, a card game based on land art was developed and will be tested for the first time during the youth exchange.

Logistic and Accomodation

SLEEPING: you will be accommodated to the “Oasi Francescana”, you will be guests of the Capuchin friars in shared rooms (2–3 maximum) and en-suite bathrooms. Sheets, blankets and towels will be provided.
FOOD: Meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) will be organised and managed by the “Oasi”. Food quality and respect for everyone’s needs will be guaranteed (if you have any and have not communicated it, now is the time). Tap water is drinkable.
ACTIVITY ROOM: Activities will take place at the Menhir Museum in Laconi (located in the centre of the village, a 10-minute walk from the oasis), the former noble palace of the Aymerich family, now the largest archaeological museum of Sardinian statuary.
Coffee breaks will be served here, prepared by the museum team.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Weather permitting, there will be outdoor activities at Aymerich Park, a huge city park that is more like a forest, the entrance to which is in the historic centre, a 3-minute walk from the museum
INTERNET: If you need a fast internet connection, the museum is served by fibre optics. Otherwise, the whole town is covered by an adequate and decent internet connection.

What shops, restaurants, bars, etc. can you find in Laconi?

4 bar
2 tobacconists
1 newsstand
2 supermarkets and 1 minimarket
1 pharmacy
1 pizzeria/restaurant
1 pub

What you can do during your free time?

OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: The territory of Laconi is one of the largest in the whole of Sardinia. You will be able to go on several hikes and we will be happy to show you the best ones.
SPORT ACTIVITIES: There is a gymnasium in the village and it is possible to rent the tennis courts, gymnasium or football pitch to play sports. If you like running, the park is the best place!
LEISURE ACTIVITY: If you feel like relaxing, you can discover the village and its history, visit the local wine cellars, relax in the park, or simply enjoy the park with a good book.

What temperature to expect

Being in the end of summer, we can go from hot (even 28°-30°) to cooler 20°. You will be updated before your arrival.

Well-being and health care

All the participants should bring their european health card. You can use the free european health insurance card (ehic) to allow you access to public hospital treatment.

Please be aware that the ehic is not a travel insurance policy, it will not cover private health care, non-emergency health costs, or being flown back to your home country.
Participants who cannot have the european health insurance card should have an insurance valid for the whole duration of the project.

We highly recommend you to make a health & travel insurance for the full duration of your time in Italy. If you have to isolate and make quarantine we cannot cover the cost for it.

If you need to take regular medications, please arrange it by yourself as we are unable to provide them for you. There is a pharmacy in the village, but in many cases they won’t sell you anything without a medical prescription.

Likewise, if you have any health conditions, psychological issues, disabilities or mobility issues that you feel we need to be aware of or that may affect your participation in the activities, then please let us know what they are and how we could assist you :)

How to arrive in Sardinia

You can get to Sardinia in two ways, by ferry and by plane. Keep in mind that the closest airport to Laconi, as well as the largest and most connected airport on the island, is Cagliari.

If you have special needs when booking your trip, please contact us first and we will work out together how to find a solution within the limits of our possibilities.

BY PLANE, you can choose between 3 airports:
- Cagliari (closest to Laconi)
- Olbia (7.00 h away from Laconi)
- Alghero (6.00 h away from Laconi)

BY FERRY, you can choose between 3 ports:
- Cagliari
- Olbia
- Porto Torres

We recommend you look at these links in case you want to come with the ferry:
https://moby.it
https://tirrenia.it
https://grimaldi-lines.com

An important detail is that you should buy your tickets after our confirmation. Otherwise, your tickets could be considered not reimbursable. We engage ourselves to reimburse only tickets which were confirmed by our team.