The university student associations represent one of the main pillars of the city social, political and cultural life. The same universities have always been created thanks to the activity of groups of students, willing to study and discuss specific aspects of the society.
General presentation
University associations are indeed the channel where the city (with its institutions, activities and citizens) and the University (as a mere place devoted to teaching) meet together, making the students discover the so-called "Universus" of culture and liberty and the same city of Forlì, as a place of values and debates.
Being member of an association does also mean to meet new friends, spend your free time with other young men and women, but also organize and participate into important initiatives. Forlì has a high number of student associations, each of them dealing with specific topics but all with the same goal – to make the exchange of ideas an instrument for the growth of the individual and then of the whole society.
Thanks to the university associations, students can play an active role in local activities, contributing to the general improvement of society.
UDU - Unione degli Universitari di Forlì
Coordinator: Andrea Sparro
Website: http://www.uduforli.it/
Mail: info@uduforli.it
Address: via Maroncelli, 34 47100 Forlì (FC)
Tel: 0543/453769
Fax:0543/453770
Udu Forlì is officially born on December 2001 and, since its early stage, it has started to actively operate within the university community and the city. We are a union-alike association and our main goal is the defence of students’ rights, both as students and as citizens. Our mission is to exercise the social representation of university students. We believe that the student is a legally "weak" subject and not sufficiently protected by law. We safeguard and defend his/her rights both by means of union-alike grievance and through the activity of representation in the Academic bodies. Our association is based on a good knowledge of the university environment, both at a national and at a local basis. For this reason, our activity has developed according to different commissions, which deal with the main themes of our activity – Teaching and the Right to Study. Our ideas and position are expressed through different channels: Trentafebbraio (our magazine), the internet site, conferences, students’ meetings, sit-ins and public demonstrations. We are proud to collaborate with other university associations operating in Forlì and with local institutions, as we believe that cooperation and confrontation are a source of growth and improvement for the current activities.
Gocce
The University Association denominated "GOCCE" is born in 2001 through the voluntary aggregation of university students from the University Campus of Forlì. It is based on a strong passion for political issues and a deep discontent for the previous awful governance of the local university campus. The rebellion against a certain conformist behaviour and the engagement for the resolution of daily problems (including the biggest issues) are part of this association, which now includes dozens of members and sympathizers. Today, GOCCE represents with its numerous activities and its political action an important step for the growth of the whole students community.
Through the democratic framework of its internal bodies (the Assembly, the Executive Committee and the President), the Association expresses its ideas, criticism and its proposals after a constructive debate. In all issues, we never come to "pre-packed" solutions, based on pure ideology. Indeed, a constantly changing thought always does emerge from a deep and open reflection. This new way of facing reality has led us to the achievement of numerous and important results and to the realization of so many activities. GOCCE represents a unique association, acting by virtue of its own regulations, following its own vocation and being acquainted to a certain freedom of action.
In addition to its political commitment within the academic bodies and to its relationship with the different local institutions, the Association organizes cultural and leisure initiatives: conferences, a magazine, theatrical activities, a cineforum, football matches, happy hours, university parties, the welcome of first-year students through the notorious initiative entitled "Sopravvivi Forlì", cultural meetings, etc.
Cactus
President: Giuseppe Mele
Address: Via Valverde 47100 Forlì
E-mail: ass.cactus@katamail.com
Telephone: 0543/370761
Associated to ARCI club, Cactus has been founded by a group of young people who are variably connected to the cultural and political Left wing movement. Its goal is to create an intellectual laboratory of ideas and initiatives. The Association is open to the participation and the collaboration of all those who are interested in dealing with different political and cultural issues. Given its long-established tradition and the age of its founding associates – university students mainly enrolled in Forlì, all under 30 -, Cactus is well integrated into the young association movements of Forlì and is strictly connected with the university environment, which is the source of its main discussions.
As a cultural association in a broad sense, Cactus intends to focus on the macro-issues not only through pure debate or conferences, but also through other forms of expression - cinema, music, theatre, parties or concerts. All these events contribute to the creation of a real and daily form of culture, which is easily enjoyable and rapidly spreading across the community.
Among the experiences developed by the Association in the last years, we should mention a Conference on the effects of NATO raids over Serbia during the war in Kosovo, with the support of a film, shot in the city of Pancevo; a Conference on former Yugoslavia, with the participation of two young men from Otpor movement; the participation into the pro-Palestine Committee for the purposes of fund-raising and drugs collection; the showing of the movie "Garage Olimpo" by the director Marco Bechis, with various speeches on the theme of the Argentine desaparecidos; the market of second-hand university books; the publication of a series of magazines and brochures; and, finally, a cycle of 4 conferences on the theme of globalisation.