Summer 2021 is opening up new horizons for tourism and activities in rural and mountain areas. It is, therefore, an important opportunity to relaunch the growth of the “highlands.”

The “Territori in Movimento” project intends to respond to this challenge, an experience of territorial animation in the Valli Valdesi, Val Susa, Val Sangone financed by the Time2 Foundation on the “Prossimi” Announcement.

To give concreteness to the solicitations that emerged during the course of the project and to support the territorial animation and the new network of relationships among the actors, some webinars will be realized between June and September. The latter will represent moments of dialogue and confrontation online, which will allow involving a wider audience.

Tourism development must start from the involvement of the young population and the strong production capacity of the territory. For this reason, there will be two cycles of webinars, open to all but addressed in particular to two targets:

• Territori in Movimento on Tuesdays.
  Aimed at young people who – with a high school diploma or degree – are entering the world of work.
  In the Tuesday cycle, we will talk about employment, active participation, and conscious citizenship, particularly in rural and mountain areas. Entrepreneurial and occupational strategies will be presented, and new opportunities linked to the tourist industry, the third sector, and the world of volunteering will be illustrated.
• Territori in Movimento on Fridays
  They will be specifically addressed to economic activities, companies, and associations that work in the territories.
  The focus of this cycle will be on the dynamics of growth of the territory, the challenges related to the current recovery period, the future of rural and mountain areas, sustainable tourism, and the role of digital.

To allow the widest possible access, the meetings will still be in the online form, despite the gradual loosening of the distancing measures related to Covid, they will be broadcasted on Facebook and Youtube of Confcooperative Piemonte Nord.

The project is promoted by Consorzio Il Nodo, leader of a wide partnership that includes: GAL Gruppo di Azione Locale Escartons e Valli Valdesi, Bobbio Pellice Municipality, UNCEMUnione nazionale dei comuni, comunità ed enti montani, Confcooperative Piemonte Nord, Department of Management of the University of Turin and its academic spin off Halalto srl, Consigliera di Parità della Città Metropolitana di Torino, Il Rosa e il Grigio aps, Greening srl.

The main objectives of the project are:

1. the promotion of a path of territorial animation through the dialogue between the partners and actors operating in the territory.
2. The promotion of tourism and enhancement of the territory to overcome the criticalities related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The project aims at identifying the strengths and specificities of the territory of the Alpine valley. These, if exploited, can trigger positive mechanisms of growth, counteract depopulation and commercial desertification and encourage the active participation of women, young people, and some segments of the population, such as people with disabilities and foreigners.

Thanks to the first phase of analysis, during which semi-structured interviews were conducted with the project partners, several themes to be explored were identified. In particular, territorial specificities, the ability to react to the health emergency, critical issues, expectations for the future, and the ability to network.