From July 17 to July 19 2014, delegates of Recovered Users Network member organisations visited the San Patrignano community, Italy.
San Patrignano, the world’s largest residential treatment center, has been working for the last thirty five years for the full recovery of those suffering from drug addiction. Offering a program of rehabilitation, skills training and full social reintegration completely free of charge, the community has given a new chance to more than 25,000 young people with an independently verified drug free success rate of over 70%. Currently San Patrignano is home to roughly 1400 residents, the average age of which is dropping year by year..
San Patrignano welcomed us and helped us in deepening our knowledge on drug rehabilitation and social integration, and showed us their model and educative approach. The workshop has been developed to respond to the large request from visits and internship at San Patrignano, to share their expertise and offer a unique experience of San Patrignano community. The international staff in cooperation with Bologna University created the format, based on previous visits of government and civil society delegations from around the world in recent years.
This kind of community shows more than a successful way of functioning and self-maintenance. The special significance of our study visit is the exchange of knowledge and experience among members of Recovered Users Network- RUN.
This study visit was supported by the ECETT network.
