STUDY VISIT IN MALAGA – THE POWER OF SSE FOR SOCIAL INCLUSION

From 25th to 27th October SOLIDAR’s Spanish member Prodivesa welcomed the Secretariat and 9 other members in Malaga on the occasion of a Study Visit. The event focused on Prodiversa’s work on social economy and its participation in policy making at different levels. This Visit coincided with the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the organisation. 

25 October 

After a joint lunch, the programme started with a presentation of the work of Prodiversa. Juan Carlos Espejo, the director of Prodiversa, presented the objective of the Visit and introduced the agenda of the event. Carlos Roldán Mejías, Social Policy Cooridnator at SOLIDAR highlighted the fil rouge characterising the work of SOLIDAR’s Social Affairs Pillar in 2023, which is social and solidarity economy (SSE). In fact, this focus is explored also by other activities of the network like the Training Academy and the Social Europe Conference. In fact, SSE is a central part of the work of several members of SOLIDAR and it has gained momentum at EU level in the last years, following the adoption of the Social Economy Action Plan in 2021. 

Following this introduction, several colleagues from Prodiversa presented in detail the work of the organisation, also going beyond SSE. A quick description of the history of the organisation – founded in 1988 from the local branch of another SOLIDAR member, MPDL – was given, which described its evolution, starting from the support and reception of migrants, evolving towards international cooperation first and work with minors later, and eventually developing social action activities and social economy entities, namely professional insertion companies. After this, the key areas of work of Prodiversa at the present moment were described: social action, protection of minors, education for development, social economy, international cooperation. Their work in the areas of social action and social economy was explored during the Visit. 

The day was concluded with a walking tour of the city and a joint dinner with the participants. 

26 October 

On the second day the participants got the chance to visit the two social insertion companies founded by Prodiversa: “Adobe Verde”, training and inserting into the construction sector workers with a background of vulnerability, and “Acompanya”, an insertion catering company, training, employing and preparing for the labour market people belonging to marginalised groups. SOLIDAR and its members visited the headquarters of both companies and could meet the participants in the insertion programmes and ask questions about their experience. In the case of the visit to “Acompanya”, an exchange in the form of “living library” was organised, in which participants who are involved in the insertion path explained how the programme is helping them, narrating their story. 

Following the “living library”, an exchange with Francisco Javier Granca, President of ANDEIS, Association of Insertion Companies of Andalusia took place. The guest illustrated the positive impact of social economy in Andalusia. More specifically, he stressed the expertise built by social economy actors in working with vulnerable groups, as well as the resilience they demonstrated during times of crises. He also analysed the proposed regional law on social economy, which goes in the direction of letting the workers in social economy entities define who are the vulnerable groups, increasing the chances of meeting the needs of the community. Answering some questions from SOLIDAR delegation, Javier Granja described the work of advocacy towards local decisionmakers of insertion companies, through participation in roundtables or similar exchanges. He also underlined the challenge of being recognised by institutions as an interlocutor as an insertion company, as cooperatives are generally better known in the social economy panorama.   

On the same day, the group also visited a space where the project “Hilodoble” is hosted.  “Hilodoble” is an initiative based on the collaboration of two social economy entities who share a common space to provide different services. On the one hand, they host people in vulnerable situations, providing them with housing, which is entirely managed by them. On the other, they organise several activities aimed at the social inclusion of such groups, including an insertion company. The company, which takes the name from the project, produces accessories like bags and wallets by using recycled materials, including billboards and posters. Their business model is therefore fully compatible with the circular economy principles. 

The second day ended with the participation of the group to the party for the 30 years of Prodiversa, which took place in Palma Palmilla, a disadvantaged neighborhood of the city of Malaga, where the organisation holds many of its social inclusion activities. During the party, the key role of the staff and of the people participating in the projects was celebrated and several touching speeches on the positive impact that Prodiversa had on the lives of many people were given. 

27 October 

On the last day of the Visit, SOLIDAR delegation participated in a roundtable held in La Noria, a multi-disciplinary space dedicated to social innovation and social entrepreneurship. The roundtable discussion was moderated by Prodiversa and was composed of local and regional authorities and local stakeholders, namely Luis Miguel Jurado. President of the Spanish Confederation of Cooperatives (COCETA), Rafael Granados, Senator for Malaga, Resu Hernández, Head of the Social Innovation Unit of La Noria Málaga Diputación de Málaga, Antonio Teba, head of the #EconomíaSocial service Junta de Andalucía. It revolved around the collaboration of social economy actors with such authorities. The speakers stressed the huge potential of social economy for putting the people and the planet at the centre of the economy and the great social and economic contribution that SE already has on the Spanish (and European) societies. They also stressed the importance of public and private partnerships to support the growth of social economy, as well as the vital role that EU, national and regional legislation can have in promoting social economy, as the Council recommendation on the topic has shown. 

On the same day, the group went back to Palma Palimilla for the last round of activities. They visited some other projects run by Prodiversa in the neighborhood including one providing assistance to mothers in vulnerable situations and centre for public access to internet. The key aspect of all projects carried out by Prodiversa is the 360 degrees approach, through which people that get involved in any of the projects get assistance in any area of life they need (from legal support to mental health treatment) regardless of the scope of the project they initially engaged in. This stems from the awareness of the intersectionality of social exclusion. 

The Study Visit concluded with a joint lunch and a lot of food for thought and inspiration for the future work of SOLIDAR and its members.

This activity was organized in the framework of SOLIDAR’s Organisational Strategy 2021-2025 and the program ”Realising Social Europe for All and With All”, supported by the European Union, through the EaSI strand of the ESF+ programme.