One hundred and ten organizations—64 volunteer groups and 46 advocacy associations—have been selected by the Liguria region to co-design pilot programs across three priority areas: elderly people, disabled people, and young people. These groups have banded together into temporary consortia. The Liguria regional government, on the recommendation of Vice President and Health and Third Sector Assessor Sonia Viale, has authorized the release of nearly 900,000 euros in national funds under the new Third Sector Code. The money supports volunteer organizations and advocacy groups working on the principle of horizontal subsidiarity—empowering the groups already active in helping society's most vulnerable.
Viale expressed satisfaction with the strong participation of volunteer and advocacy organizations, which formed consortia to pool their efforts and avoid fragmenting resources across too many separate initiatives. "Over the coming months, we'll carefully monitor how these projects develop to ensure we hit our targets. Each year we'll focus resources on different areas—the local tourism boards, for example—while keeping our goal fixed: support for volunteers and advocacy work."
For people with disabilities, the region will fund social inclusion projects featuring cultural activities, sports, recreation, and leisure programs across Liguria. These will create opportunities for gathering and community, and strengthen partnerships with existing services. The region is home to roughly 86,000 people with disabilities—about 5 percent of Liguria's population. Uildm Genova will lead the disability consortium.
For elderly residents, the programs will offer entertainment, socialization, and efforts to counter isolation while including people over 65, who make up 28.3 percent of Liguria's population (compared to 21.6 percent nationally). Young people will be involved as well, building intergenerational exchange and mutual enrichment. Auser Liguria will lead the elderly consortium. Under national rules, groups will receive 80 percent of their funding upfront, with the remaining 20 percent paid after they submit final reports. Third sector organizations are expected to contribute 30 percent of each project's total cost. "Unfortunately, Arci, which was to lead the young people's consortium, submitted a project that didn't meet minimum requirements, so we can't move forward with that track," Viale said. "We'll consider restarting it next year."
Source: Faro di Roma