The empowerment of the rural world in Lleida, the valuable work of a second chance school in Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cádiz) that promotes the employment of young people at risk of social exclusion, or the promotion of employment for homeless people in an entity of A Coruña are three of the twelve winners of the 8th edition of the “La Caixa” Foundation Awards for Social Innovation that were presented this Thursday in Madrid.
The jury has distinguished with 10 awards and two second prizes “the transformative and innovative vision” of all the award-winning initiatives, which have been selected from more than 3,000 projects from La Caixa’s calls for Social Projects. The winning initiatives will receive 15,000 euros and the two second prizes will receive 5,000. A valuable amount to give a boost to its fundamental work of social cohesion, inclusion and the fight against poverty.
The ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports and Government spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, and also by the general director of the La Caixa Foundation, Antonio Vila Bertrán. The director explained during the awards ceremony that the aim is to “recognize and promote social innovation, especially the capacity for response and transformation with respect to the problems and changing needs of society.
A round table in which the deputy general director of the La Caixa Foundation, Marc Simón, participated, and a concert by one of the winners (a musical and solidarity initiative from Madrid) put the final touch on the event.
These are the 12 award-winning projects:
This project aims to involve young people and protagonists in the social transformation of the Puche neighborhood of Almeria, an area with strong segregation. The young people – around thirty have been involved – work with the Administration to achieve tangible solutions for the neighborhood through successful experiences that empower and improve the self-esteem of young people and that also project a positive image of their environment. More than 15 training workshops have been developed in mediation, conflict resolution and frustration management. In addition, two common spaces in the area have been rehabilitated and a neighborhood association has been created.
The project aims to qualify people with disabilities so that they can obtain stable employment, through a new application that allows them to access interviews, workshops and training on equal terms without the need to travel. Employment training and skills workshops are proposed and transportation service is offered.
The project aims to structure the territory through the recovery of roads, resulting in an improvement in resources for livestock farming and ecotourism. We also work on dignifying and caring for older people, who become protagonists by acting as guides and mentors for newcomers and young people. In 2022, 22 work camps were organized with 330 participants and roads were recovered in 4 municipalities.
Launch of the Second Chance School in Sanlúcar de Barrameda to offer young people a new educational opportunity based on support, intervention and training. The objective is to achieve socio-labor insertion and prevent them from entering the spiral of drug trafficking and consumption. 66 people have been assisted through personal accompaniment; 55 people have participated in personal skills training, digital skills, on-demand training and company training; and 99 people have prepared for the ESO tests. In total, 221 young people have been assisted in the different activities.
The project aims for homeless people to have sufficient economic income to be able to freely decide about their life project through employment. The ultimate goal is to accompany these people in a personalized process of socio-labor integration and consolidation.
The project aims to provide a solution to cultural obstacles that occur in the coexistence processes in the educational environment of the Otxarkoaga neighborhood. It is based on the change of vision and interpretation frameworks, for which it is essential to create networks in which the different educational agents provide feedback on their points of view from belonging to a community. 394 participants have participated directly in the project.
The project aims to break the hereditary circle of poverty and social exclusion by designing a methodology that uses collective musical practice as a tool to promote coexistence and the individual and social development of people. Spaces are generated for the development of personal capacities and competencies of the participants where the reality of minors, young people and families is made visible. The project has offered 220 hours of instrumental training per year per beneficiary and 60% of family members attend and participate in workshops.
Socio-educational space for children from 0 to 3 years old and support is provided to families (especially mothers) who are in a vulnerable situation, thus facilitating the reconciliation of parents so that they can begin a process of inclusion. 117 beneficiaries have participated in the project, of which 72 have actively participated throughout the program (35 adults and 37 minors).
The initiative proposes mutual support between equals within groups of women victims of trafficking. Art for transformation, training in rights, healing stories and artistic expression have allowed Las Poderosas to promote the sense of belonging and recovery of these women. The Las Poderosas group began in 2017 with 10 women; Today there are more than 50 of 9 different nationalities. 2 mediators have been trained and hired, 4 women have created Costura Poderosa S.L.U, a socio-labor insertion company, and the album-book Libres para Dream has been published, where 13 women share their survival stories.
This project, designed in conjunction with the different agents of the territory – business fabric, public services, other entities and citizens -, proposes training in maintenance and installation of photovoltaic solar panels, a sector that has a strong demand for workers whose profile does not require a very high level of training and, therefore, it is accessible to people with a low level of training and to young people who have dropped out of school. The project has facilitated the training of 29 people and the insertion into the labor market of 6 people, 3 women and 3 men.
ACCESS:
Through the regular practice of sport, the aim is to respond to the needs of the different groups in vulnerable situations in the territory. The project has the collaboration of entities that allow the transfer of use of spaces for the development of different actions. The activities cover different contexts and groups: humanitarian shelters, older people. The entity organizes a solidarity sports event, carries out workshops and awareness days in schools, and organizes Spanish and Spanish culture workshops for the humanitarian reception group.
The project launches a comprehensive accompaniment transport service in a rural territory. On the one hand, it responds to the need for mobility of people with reduced mobility and older people, and on the other hand, it offers an opportunity for job placement to people with disabilities in rural areas. The service improves the quality of life of the beneficiaries, keeps them in their homes for as long as possible, improves their autonomy in the basic tasks of daily life, stops situations of isolation or loneliness and promotes healthy aging. The green and sustainable rural economy is promoted, since the service is provided with a 100% electric vehicle, and generates an employment opportunity for the group of people with disabilities in rural areas, thereby reducing the existing employment gap in this collective.
