Augurusa Foundation and MO.D.A.V.I. Together for V.I.A.: Volunteers Traveling against Addictions
Since 1996, the social promotion association MO.D.A.V.I. (Movement of Italian Volunteer Associations) has been working to build more inclusive and equitable societies, starting from the needs of the most disadvantaged people to restore their dignity and value. Throughout its thirty years of activity, MO.D.A.V.I. has focused its interventions on fighting drug addiction and empowering the most vulnerable, lifting them out of poverty. The specific areas of intervention are: fighting alcohol and drug use; promoting healthy lifestyles; combating all forms of violence, with particular reference to gender-based violence and violence against minors, bullying and cyberbullying; supporting vulnerable people, especially young mothers.
The association carries out projects related to childhood, youth and women’s support also abroad, where it has several operational offices: in Argentina, Armenia, Egypt, France, Iraq, Lebanon, Portugal, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
The Antonio Emanuele Augurusa Foundation collaborates with MO.D.A.V.I. and local entities in implementing the project “V.I.A.- Volunteers in Action: traveling against addictions”. Funded by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies under Notice 2/2023, the project aims to provide young people with tools and models to prevent alcohol abuse and drug use while promoting volunteering as an educational model for personal and collective growth.
Our training tutor and spokesperson for the Virtus Lab model of the Augurusa Foundation, Maria Giuseppina Mari, together with teacher and psychologist specialized in clinical neuropsychology, Maria Consiglia Profiti, have entered high schools to conduct group workshop activities where, through a non-formal education model, they have raised awareness among students by sharing information about the risks associated with alcohol and drug use and abuse, as well as good volunteering practices. The specific objectives of the V.I.A. project also include: administering questionnaires to gather information about alcohol and drugs, implementing a two-month national Truck tour, and organizing a two-day national meeting.
The students involved in the project, which lasts 3 hours each, are between 16 and 19 years old, and the methodology adopted for these initiatives is based on an experiential and peer-to-peer approach, simulations and visual tools (e.g., drunk simulation glasses) and a final individual reflection.
In the first half of 2025, the V.I.A. project was presented through three cycles of training meetings in high schools in Vibo Valentia, involving approximately 239 students.
Specifically, these training meetings consist of two parts: an introductory part about the project and the presentation of the Virtus Lab model by Dr. Maria Giuseppina Mari, training tutor from the Augurusa Foundation, and a second part concerning specific training and dissemination of topics related to alcohol and drug use and abuse and the promotion of volunteering by Dr. Maria Consiglia Profiti, psychologist specialized in clinical neuropsychology.
The doctors intervened at IPSEOA “Enrico Gagliardi” and IIS “De Filippis” in Vibo Valentia on February 21 and February 24, 2025, introducing the themes mentioned above, involving 79 and 71 participants respectively in the two training projects.
During the training session, students had the opportunity to participate in various activities aimed at raising awareness and personal reflection. One of the most significant experiences was the simulation with glasses that reproduce the state of drunkenness, through which it was possible to directly and concretely understand the effects of perceptual alterations caused by alcohol. Anonymous writing activity was also proposed, designed to stimulate deep individual reflection on personal issues related to risky behaviors, offering a safe space for expression and awareness. Furthermore, the meeting included an in-depth exploration of the concept of active volunteering, understood as a form of conscious participation in community life and as an effective tool for prevention, personal growth, and promotion of collective well-being.
An additional meeting was held on May 7 at the Liceo Scientifico “Giuseppe Berto” and on May 30 at the Istituto Istruzione Superiore ITG – ITI – ITE, Vibo Valentia. The cycle of training activities lasted three hours in total in both cases, involving 74 students in the first case and 86 in the second.
During the project, students participated in various activities aimed at prevention and raising awareness about the risks associated with alcohol and drug consumption during developmental age. They explored the impact these substances can have on the brain during growth, focusing on both short and long-term negative effects on neuropsychological development. Moreover, particular attention was paid to analyzing psychosocial risk factors, with the aim of understanding how environment, family, and social relationships can influence risky behaviors. Structured group activities were proposed, including a simulation with glasses that reproduce the state of drunkenness, allowing participants to safely experience altered perceptual and cognitive effects, and activities with notes containing real situations to discuss and solve together, aimed at developing critical thinking and relational skills. Another significant moment of the project was dedicated to promoting volunteering as a tool for active citizenship, emphasizing the importance of personal commitment and participation in community life as a positive alternative to risky behaviors.
In all the institutes where the V.I.A. project was presented, students responded positively and actively participated in every proposed activity: from practical simulations to moments of individual and collective discussion and reflection on complex and uncomfortable topics.
In September, the planned training will be carried out aboard the Truck Tour and, during the stops in the squares, healthcare operators will also be present to provide information and explanations about the risks associated with alcohol and drug use.
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