Bagheria, 2 April 2024, 6.30 p.m. – Sala Borremans, Villa Butera The Next association, together with the Bitmup association, the youth council of Bagheria, the representatives of Plasticfree Bagheria, and the volunteers of the ‘Whose sea is it?’ project, present the fruit of years of commitment to the protection and enhancement of Bagheria’s coastline.
On Wednesday, 2 April, at 6.30 p.m., at the Sala Borremans of Villa Butera, the city administration of Bagheria will be presented with the report of the questionnaire on the sea of Bagheria proposed last summer, the project for the regeneration of Cala dell’Osta, known as: Le Tre Piscine, and the video ‘The sea of Bagheria for you’, a collection of video interviews with Bagheria citizens about their sea.A project for Cala dell’Osta. The project for the redevelopment of Cala dell’Osta, donated to the municipal administration by the Next association, was supervised by Dr Agronomist Riccardo Baiamonte, Geologist Giuseppe Caputo and Engineer Giuseppe Gallo, members of the association. The project, which includes a pre-feasibility study, aims to regenerate this unique natural heritage. The Next association has adopted this place, a symbol of shared value for the Bagherese community, since 2017, when a red heart was posted among the rocks. The area, located at the foot
of the western slope of Capo Zafferano, was nominated in 2022 for the FAI’s Places of the Heart, obtaining more than 3300 votes and ranking among the most voted places in Sicily.
The report of the interviews on Bagheria’s sea During the event, the report of the questionnaire launched last summer on the occasion of the initiative: ‘Whose sea is it?’, which animated Bagheria’s coastline thanks to the commitment of the Next association, the Bitmup association, the Consulta Giovanile of Bagheria, the Plasticfree referents of Bagheria, and numerous volunteers and local activities, will also be presented. The questionnaire, to which more than 600 people responded, collected feedback on the experience of users of the Bagheria sea in terms of accessibility, mobility, services, cleanliness and safety. The questionnaire was developed and analysed by Engineer Giuseppe Gallo of the Next association and Town Planner Elisabetta Caruso of the Bitmup association. An opportunity for the municipal administration. Both papers, the result of participation and sharing, represent a valuable resource for the municipal administration of Bagheria and are fundamental for starting regeneration processes and accessing national and European funding lines. The sea of Bagheria for you: the second part of the video On the occasion of the event, the second part of the video ‘The sea of Bagheria for you’, a collection of video interviews with the users of the sea of Bagheria, will be presented. The Next association, in collaboration with the videomaker Maurizio Durante, has asked citizens to share issues related to Bagheria’s coast and sea. The event is open to citizens and the press.

Association Next
Associazione Next brings together a group of inhabitants of Bagheria and Santa Flavia, who together carry out initiatives aimed at social innovation and sustainable development in the two municipalities. Since 2013, we have been involved in computer literacy and environmental protection. From 2013 to 2017 Next was the promoter of Sistema Bagheria, a consortium of 15 associations in Bagheria and Santa Flavia committed to promoting territorial excellence. In recent years, we have adopted the area of Cala dell’Osta, known as Tre Piscine. In 2022 we nominated the area for the Places of the Heart competition promoted by FAI – Fondo per l’ambiente Italiano, collecting more than 3200 votes from citizens of Bagheria and Santa Flavia and qualifying for the final stage of the competition. Today we are working on initiatives for the protection and enjoyment of the coastal area of Bagheria and Santa Flavia. We are convinced, as are many, that the sea is a right and a duty.

BitMup
We are architects, sociologists, geographers, experts in communication and culture, and economists. The heterogeneity of our academic and professional experiences allows us to have a broad and articulated perspective and an aptitude for experimentation based on research and analysis, through which we are able to activate effective processes for the regeneration of the territory and its communities, effective communication formats and participatory methods, propaedeutic to a concrete sustainable development, through different approaches, tools and methodologies.

Youth Council of Bagheria
The municipal youth council of Bagheria was established on 13 February 2018 as a body for consultation and dialogue between young people and institutions. Since its foundation, it has pursued the mission of aggregating and enabling its members to engage in Bagheria and in positive change.