Reggio Calabria, 20 November 2025. On the occasion of World Children’s Day, the Italian Sports Centre (CSI) of Reggio Calabria, in collaboration with the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children and Adolescents and UNICRI, launched an innovative project promoting participation, inclusion, and urban and social regeneration: the Interactive Map of public outdoor sports spaces in the city of Reggio Calabria.
The initiative, called “Road Game Map”, aims to involve citizens, young people, families, and associations in mapping public street spaces where sport and outdoor play can take place.
The digital map is designed to be a living, accessible tool, promoting active participation, knowledge and regeneration of local urban spaces, spontaneous play, and social inclusion.
During the launch event, the Ombudsperson for Children and Adolescents, Mr. Emanuele Mattia, CSI Reggio Calabria, and several local associations officially presented the map and symbolically “took to the streets” to play in the areas already identified by the community in recent weeks.
Road Game Map is a community-driven project that seeks to give young people a city more tailored to their needs — a place where street sport can once again become a universal language of connection, participation, and well-being.
The 14 public sports spaces already included in the map, located across both central and peripheral neighbourhoods, will be cared for by young people and adults undertaking community service measures assigned by the Court to CSI Reggio Calabria. Their “second chance” journey — together with the continued collaboration of the Municipal Administration — will help make these spaces more accessible and welcoming for many children and adolescents.
Throughout the day, the spaces featured on the map hosted training sessions, spontaneous matches, and sports activities. Young people installed nets and basketball hoops in neighbourhood courts and cleared areas previously overgrown.
These actions are tangible proof that the idea works — and is taking shape. Sports associations, families, youth centres, parishes, and young people are already “claiming” these spaces and experiencing an extraordinary form of free, inclusive, community-based play.
A project that begins in the streets and returns to the people: because a city that gives space to play is a city that grows together with its young people, building its own future.
How to contribute to the map: Guided by the slogan “Come play with us!”, CSI invites everyone to send to segreteriacsirc@gmail.com: a photo of the space, a short description (e.g., “five-a-side football pitch”, “skateboard area”, “basketball court”), and its location (geolocation or precise address)