SUSTAINAIBILITY Insights from the case study The sustainability dimension is intrinsic to the Consortium chosen strategy: each awarded project carried out first by the social cooperatives and then by the Consortium was intended to trigger the set-up of self-sustainable activities operating in the local territory, i.e., new community cooperatives which today amount to 6, while other 4 are planned in the near future. In fact, while the Consortium experience began with a 100% reliance on public funds destined to welfare services, at present it has reached a relevant economic autonomy. In fact, its investment in productive activities such as hotels, agricultural productions and value chains, shops, restaurants, craftsmanship and more now allows the Consortium to rely, at least for 50%, on its own revenues, while the other half still intercepts public welfare funding to carry out its social inclusion projects (i.e., health budgets and SPRAR for the community cooperatives). The Consortium aims at maintaining a collaborative, “balanced” and not over-reliant relationship with the public bodies. The latter entails the co-design and co-managing of social inclusion and work integration projects.
Suggested actions
Self-assessment questions
Design, implement and invest in activities and projects which are able to self-sustain over time: i.e., entrepreneurial activities pursued with fitted organizational models such as social enterprises, community cooperatives.
Can the sustainability dimension be integrated in all activities’ design and implementation? Is it possible to escape from a project-oriented approach to a more entrepreneurial approach generating selfsustainable activities operating in the local territory?
As much as possible, maintain a “balanced” and not over-reliant relationship with the public bodies and funds. Prefer the co-design and co-management approach rather than mere execution of social inclusion projects.
Are key actors able to maintain a “balanced” and not over-reliant relationship with the public bodies they collaborate with? Can they dialogue in a position of co-designers and co-managers of social inclusion projects?
Future perspectives may not simply be those of growing in terms of activities, products and services, staff or revenues, but also in sharing one’s own best practice and success in order to inspire other territories to imitate and replicate the same development strategy although tailored to local needs.
Which are the future perspectives? Are they geared more towards internal growth or towards inspiring other territories with a common local development strategy?
The Consortium future perspective is geared more towards sharing and inspiring other territories rather than just growing in terms of activities, products and services, staff or revenues. Its vocation is that of permeating surrounding localities which share or have the potential of sharing the same welcoming and inclusive culture. In fact, nowadays the Consortium member cooperatives operate in four different Italian regions. Although sharing the same vision and culture, the latter have developed somewhat different experiences as they build on contextualized local needs and motivations. For example, in one case activities are mainly focused on the social integration of migrants, while, in others towards, on the regeneration of abandoned and uncultivated land.
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