How do inclusion policies reinforce competitiveness? The case of PEOPLE project

1. How do inclusion policies reinforce competitiveness? The case of PEOPLE project Giacomo Grandolfo Councillor of Social Services Province of Venice Open Days Brussels, Tuesday 5 October 2010

2. Province of Venice The Province of Venice 44 Municipalities 850.000 inhabitants Foreign population 63.500 (7,5%)

3. The Province of Venice experience in inclusion policies • School assistance to young people suffering from visual and auditory handicap; • provincial Council for voluntary and immigration; • financing no profit organisations dealing with social housing and microcredit; • linguistic mediation at school; • employment services for natives and migrants at the employment centres; • initiatives to promote the knowledge of Roma culture with also their involvement (radio broadcasting).

4. The PEOPLE project PEOPLE is an INTERREG IVC project aiming at studying and looking for solutions to the consequences of demographic and social changes in relation to welfare, social inclusion, labour and health. People Web Site www.peopleproject.eu People Policy Forum www.peoplepolicyforum.ning.com

5. Stoccolma Guildford Noord-Brabant Malopolski Timis Provincia di Venezia Andalucia The partnership

6. What are the main topics of PEOPLE? • Better and work life balance • E-health and dependency • Silver economy • Social and e-inclusion • Social entrepreneurship • Civil society empowerment For each topic the partnership identifies good practices to be known and promoted in the other countries, organises international conferences and study visits.

7. The multiplier effect of PEOPLE: the sub-projects PEOPLE co-financed the creation of 7 sub-projects between at least 3 European organisations, to develop innovative initiatives dealing with societal change. 3 are the sub-projects financed by the Province of Venice: • Home 04 - Networking for integrated care homeless • ShareIT • Pepa - People Participating

8. Home04 The main objective is the creation of a network between the public services dealing with homelesspeople to formalise a common working methodology and share statistics. In the city of Venice local laboratories are also implemented to sensitise homeless people to the use of personal computers and web tools. Partners: Foundation for social integration of Seville (Spain), Municipalities of Seville and Granada (Spain), Regional health service of Andalusia (Spain), City of Venice (Italy) and Employment Agency of Södermalm (Sweden).

9. Shareit Shareit aims to promote the cohesion through ICT for socially and economically vulnerable groups, in particular youngsters also migrants. In Venice laboratories can help to improve the Italian language and stimulate the intercultural dialogue through social networks and visual arts. Partners: University of applied sciences FONTYS (Netherlands); City of Venice (Italy); Performing pictures Istitute (Sweden); General direction for social affairs and child protection of Timis (Romania); U Siemachy Association (Poland).

10. Pepa PEPA aims at improving local and regional governance strengthening the role and participation of the civil society during the elaboration of local strategic plans and policies. In Veneto the focus is on the relations between Local Health Authorities and the social enterprises in co-planning the Multi-years Local Plan and implementing the social services in the territory. Partners: University Pablo de Olavide Seville (Spain); Local Health Autority 13 Veneto Region (Italy); Hampshire Economic Partnership (United Kingdom).

11. Suggestions for the future • Understand the new forms of social inconvenience which the economic crisis have extended to other actors (eg. SME’s entrepreneurs, craftmen). • Development of projects to help people to better understand and asses their indebtedness. • Promote in the local context a new urban vision taking into account the mobility of pedestrians with special needs and the aging popoluation.