Super moms (and super dads)

The project

Super moms (and super dads) look for new paths for their children’s autonomy: we unite them in a national net and support them to become promoters of similiar experiences in other territories.

The path to children’s autonomy

There are mothers (and fathers of course) who, as a reaction to the impossibility of exercising their full right to motherhood due to lack of adequate support and services, which a civil society should guarantee, become champions of the cause and, with extreme courage, determination and strength of spirit, they manage to reach goals that seemed impossible. We call them “super moms”.

The “super mothers” have sensed how the path to their child’s autonomy is the only one that can be truly taken and for this reason, with tenacity, obstinacy and imagination, they seek possible paths. Many of these mothers have arrived at the Albergo Etico. They have traveled thousands of kilometers to give their children the opportunity to attend work placements and say they have found the answers they are looking for in this experience: the professionalization of their children and the ability to integrate with society.

To capitalize on the experience and spread it as much as possible, in recent years we have tried to consolidate some actions:

create a national network of super mothers. This network, which also sees the participation of some Swiss mothers, has encouraged the exchange of good practices, experiences and information. Frequencies between families and children have also arisen, thus satisfying another important need which is the overcoming of isolation;
support mothers so that they become promoters of new experiences similar to the Albergo Etico in other territories. The effort to establish the experience of the Hotel and the Academy through the drafting of this text goes precisely in the direction of making them replicable.

The “Host family network”

The “Host family network”, which aims to test the autonomy abilities of children who are becoming independent, is a concrete experience, born from the national network of super mothers. The children have the opportunity to travel around Italy, living for a few days in a city they do not know and confronting themselves with other family contexts that make themselves available to welcome them and allow them to test themselves, respecting their times and supporting them in moments of eventual difficulty. The action is governed by a regulation.

Support for new parenting

A further action in which we would like to involve the “super mothers” in the near future is a project to support new parents for families with children with Down syndrome. In particular, we believe it may be useful for the new mother to receive a visit from a mother and her Down child from the hospital. It is the gesture of extending your hand, to let people know that you are not alone and that, in addition to health and social assistance services, there are also friends who have already faced similar situations and for this reason they can represent a point of reference.