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Springtime '85

A DESCRIPTION OF THE GOOD PRACTICE

A1 Title in original language
PRIMAVERA '85

A2 Title in English
SPRINGTIME '85

A3 Location of GP (national)
Italy

A4 Location of GP (regional)
Veneto

A5 Economic field of activity
Q Human health and social work activities

A6 Ultimate purpose of GP
To enable adaptation to new realities
To provide educational opportunities
To improve social cohesion/inclusion

A7 Spatial scale
Local

A8a Start date
1985

A8b Anticipated end date (if applicable)
Ongoing

A9 Short description of the GP
This "multiple type (A and B)" cooperative intends to pursue the general interest of the community for the human promotion and the social integration of the citizens through the management of the health, social-care, educational, training services, and the collaboration with the main economic-productive realities in the territory.
In particular, the attention is aimed at improving the quality of life of people with disabilities, starting from the identification of their needs, their abilities and their expectations.
The Cooperative is also appreciated for its goldsmith workshop that has been active since 2011 within the Center for Work Training of disadvantaged people. It actively involves young people with different disabilities in the production of jewelry whose esthetic value is highly appreciated.
The decision to self-commit in this sector was born from the will to exploit the territory taking back the traditional prestige of Vicenza - an historic city with historical goldsmith traditions - and at the same time re-qualifying the concept of disability, which has often a negative connotation, by linking it to beauty.
The workshop's products are made with semiprecious stones and pearls whose charm is undeniable. By the widespread use of the motto "Imperfection is our Added Value", the support of the local community and the strategic use of the local network, the jewels of Primavera '85 have reached the jewelers of the area of Vicenza and not only there, but also throughout the whole North-Eastern Italy and Riviera Adriatica to Rimini, and are presented regularly during shows organized by the local Public Institutions.

A10 Key words relating to the GP
Education
Work inclusion
Social integration
Charitable
Individual Educational Plan

A11 Objectives of the GP
The activities of the cooperative are mostly educational-rehabilitative and charitable. In addition to this there are also the job training activities aimed at promoting the employment of the various disadvantaged people. Primavera '85 strongly believes in the use of the Individual Educational Plan (PEI) as a k

ey instrument of the rehabilitation and education path of the person. Through the PEI is in fact possible to combine and coordinate the rehabilitative, educational, supportive and charitable interventions to the objectives to be achieved on the basis of age, pathology of the user and modality of delivery of interventions. Concretely, the PEI consists in a series of weekly activities coordinated and monitored by the team of operators.

A12 Activities that have taken place
The Cooperatie is active in the follwing:

  1. Activities carried out in support of the disadvantaged;
  2. Activities carried out in support of children placed in the local schools;
  3. Activities carried out with elderly users;
  4. Vocational training activities;
  5. Day care center "Con-tatto";
  6. Within the Center for Work Training of Primavera '85 a goldsmith workshop has been active since 2011. It actively involves young people with different disabilities in the production of jewelry whose esthetic value is highly appreciated

A13 Achievements of the GP
The attention of Primavera '85 is aimed at improving the quality of life of people with disabilities, starting from the identification of their needs, their abilities and their expectations. Primavera '85 promotes in the territory services of educational, social and work-inclusion type for people with psycho-physical disadvantages of various kinds. The categories of disadvantaged persons involved in the activities of the cooperative are in fact in continuous evolution in order to respond more pragmatically to local needs.


B IMPACT ON SOCIETY AND ECONOMY

B1 How has the GP impacted on the following?

B1a Legal/financial exclusion
Neutral impacts
Any other comments?

B1b Creation or conservation of local employment
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
The GP does job training activities aimed at promoting the employment of the various disadvantaged people.

B1c Adaptation to new realities
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
The activities of the cooperative are mostly educational-rehabilitative to allow a social inclusion to disadvataged people

B1d Cross sectoral working
Impacts not known
Any other comments?

B1e Enablement of social enterpreneurship
Very positive impacts
Any other comments?
Primavera '85 intends to pursue the general interest of the community for the human promotion and the social integration through the management of the health, social-care, educational, training services, and the collaboration with the main economic-productive realities in the territory. So it links the social goals with needs of the territory that have a big influence on the economy of the citizens.

B1f Amenities for local people
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
The categories of disadvantaged persons involved in the activities of the cooperative are in fact in continuous evolution in order to respond more pragmatically to local needs, so also the territory can take advantage of the activities of the cooperative.

B1g Educational opportunities
Very positive impacts
Any other comments?
The attention of the GP is aimed at improving the quality of life of people with disabilities, starting from the identification of their needs, their abilities and their expectations. So the activity of training and job placement is important for disadvantaged people and also for the territory.

B1h Crisis response
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
The services of Primavera '85 are very appreciated by the territory. The spending review cut many public funding aimed at disadvantaged people and their kin so the people who suffered the cut of some benefits could call on the cooperative to solve their problems.

B1i Local financial environment for social enterpreneurs
Neutral impacts
Any other comments?

B1j Local policy environment for social enterpreneurs
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
Since the early 2000s, the cooperative is the animator of two Territorial Educational Groups - "GET Incontro" and "GET La Littorina" through which he has been able to build a very strong network of relationships with the territory that stimulated the development of social policies of reception and integration towards disability. The GETs' work addresses medium-to-severe disabilities and has the primary purpose of developing the relational and socializing abilities, promoting educational projects that intervene both on the personal situation of the disabled and on the relationship with territory.

B1k National financial environment for social enterpreneurs
Impacts not known
Any other comments?

B1l National policy environment for social enterpreneurs
Impacts not known
Any other comments?


C PARTNERSHIPS & GOVERNANCE

C1 Is the governance of this GP fully inclusive?
Beneficiaries have a little involvement in governance
Comments and learning points
The GP has chosen to use, among others,:

  • associated beneficiaries: they are neither employees nor volunteers but the families and the users who benefit from some of the cooperative activities undertaken;
  • associated volunteers: they contribute to the development of the intervention sectors.

C2 How influential has this GP been on local or national decision makers?
Not known
Comments and learning points

C3 How much partnership work has been involved?
A great deal of cross sectoral partnership working
Comments and learning points
The recognized strengths of the cooperative is the wide local network that sponsors and supports all the initiatives carried out. together with the constant attention to the quality of the services provided (in 2006 it obtained the UNI EN ISO 9001:2000) and the attention to the continuous training of its workers, it enables a great corss sectoral partnership works.


D PR & TRANSFERABILITY

D1 Please describe how the GP communicated its experience and success to the public
Primavera '85 doesn't promote its activity in the conventional way. It collaborate with Local Health Units, with municipalities and with public schools with innovative approaches of individual rehabilitation so it expands its contacts on the territory manily thanks to the goodness of its activity. Recently, the cooperative starts to take part in several events organized within European project and used this chace to maximaze its publicity.

D2 Please describe how the GP communicated with local or national decision makers?
Primavera '85 is in contact with the main local administrations and decision makers trough the activity of the Territorial Educational Groups and its network.

D3 Are there any elements of this project that you think would transfer particularly well to other contexts?
The innovative kind of rehabilitation and the individual projects of education are the most important caracteristics of the GP's activity. Their new social approach and the concrete services that they give to the families of disadvanteg people are very iportant for the society and they have good economic implications. Moreover, the innovative idea of matching the traditional manufactoring vocation of the territory with the needs of job rehabilitation and training for disadvantage people to make great jewellery is a key element that can be export in very country across europe.


E RESOURCES AND SUSTAINABILITY

E1a Total annual income of GP 2011/12
€ 1.500.000

E1b How is this made up?
78% of the turnover comes from the public sector while 22% comes from the private sector.

E1c Details of human resources
The 50 workers of the cooperative assist every day people with autism, mental or physical disability, elderly people with mobility difficulties and/or disabilities. At the heart of the cooperative is the Assembly of Associates, formed exclusively by stakeholders: families, professionals, volunteers.

E1d Details of technology
Technological instruments are required to run the goldsmith lab.

E1e Details of financial investment for start-up/early stage
None to date

E1f Details of external support
From the financial point of view, Primavera '85 can count on the support of an association constituted by the whole of the families of the users followed in the cooperative centers in order to start forms of collaboration and support of various kinds.

E2 If public funding were withdrawn, could the GP continue to exist?
The GP is, for a big part ,dependent of public funding but the crises maybe can improve the importance of their services to the private subjects and so Primavera '85 could increase its economic indipendence.


F EXECUTIVE BODY AND CONTACT INFORMATION

F1 Who set up the GP?
Individual or group of individuals
Primavera '85 was founded in the town of Altavilla Vicentina in 1985 thanks to the work of some volunteers and parents of disabled children, with the aid of the Municipalities of Altavilla Vicentina and Sovizzo (in the province of Vicenza, northen Italy).

F2 Who runs the GP?
Not-for-profit organisation

F3 Short description/comments
The Assembly of Associates that provides the cooperative with the expertise it need for daily management. It is indeed expected that several members make available their free consultancy in strategic sectors of the cooperative such as marketing, advertising, and last but not least, the care of the on-line sale of products manufactured in the Sheltered Work Centers (CLP) and the Center for Work Training (CFL).
The Board of Directors is formed by all the stakeholders (families, workers and volunteers).
In the BoD a lawyer and a certified accountant are present in representation of the associated beneficiaries whereas in representation of the associated volunteers are a certified accountant and a former trade union representative and in representation of the associated workers 2 supervisors responsible for the services and, of course, the President. The Auditor elected by law is a former Managing Director of a large company in the territory

F4 Contact
Luciano Bedin
Primavera '85
IV Novembre 23 - 36050 - Sovizzo (VI)
Italy
Telephone 0444 376449
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www.primavera85.it
Any other contact people
Giovanni Turra, Chiara Torresan


G SUPPORTING INFORMATION

G1 Photos (between 1 & 3)

Examples of jewellery of the Alternative project

GP3 AlternativeJewelleryProject 1
Examples of jewellery of the Alternative project

 

GP3 AlternativeJewelleryLAb 3
Disadvantaged person working in the Alternative Jewellery Lab

 

GP3 AlternativeJewelleryProject Lab 2
Disadvantaged person working with the master goldsmith in the Alternative Jewellery Lab

G2 E documents
Primavera '85 detailed schedule

G3 Any other useful information

 

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