The TikiTaka project began long before I became involved. And with it came my engagement in a model of work founded on a simple desire: community. The conviction that only together—public institutions, nonprofits, families, people with disabilities, citizens—can we build places and spaces of life where everyone finds welcome and carries their own value, with all their strengths and fragility.
From the start in 2017, with support from the Cariplo Foundation's Welfare in Action program, we chose to build a model of work before launching any initiatives. We gave time and space to thought, to forums for dialogue and exchange, drawing from the different perspectives of everyone involved. The project has engaged over a thousand children, teens, and adults with disabilities; it has created synergy among more than two hundred organizations of every kind—cooperatives and volunteer associations, parent groups, sports and cultural organizations—from companies (over 50 involved) to municipal governments. We stepped beyond our own boundaries and learned to recognize the skills and resources in each person.
TikiTaka rests on two core initiatives. The first takes shape in provincial working groups: Di casa in casa, creating new forms of housing that better meet the needs of people with disabilities, starting from the law on life after family care (18 projects launched); Il lavoro abilita l'uomo, which promotes inclusion in the workplace through apprenticeships aimed at social integration (over 200 apprenticeships and 17 permanent hires) and active citizenship pathways; Tutti in campo, addressing integrated sports initiatives and programs: more than 20 teams and sports disciplines have been launched; SperimentARSI, which uses art and culture—music, theater, visual arts, dance—as occasions for encounter and integration; Intrecci di cura, which serves children and young people. The second core initiative is Una via per la città: a network project focused on connection and rooting ourselves in local communities, active in 12 towns across the Monza Brianza province.
The goal is to open doors and boundaries, create links, foster participation, and harness the power of shared strategy.
I am filled with wonder and satisfaction to see this work realized—work that hinges on the involvement of those we serve: people with disabilities and their families, children and young people. The conviction drives us all: together we can build and live in a more beautiful community for everyone.
The goal is to open doors and boundaries, create links, foster participation, and harness the power of shared strategy.
By listening to and working with others, we have built what we could never have imagined alone. And in doing so, our communities have become more accessible to each person. We carry this listening and this message forward through progettotikitaka.com, thanks to the "TikiTaka Notebooks" (issues exploring different network themes), radio formats (with Radio Binario 7) such as Terzo Binario (stories, testimonies, and in-depth reporting airing Mondays at 5:30 p.m. from September through June, in collaboration with the Fondazione della Comunità di Monza e Brianza) and 40° Minuto, devoted to integrated sports; and Tikitok, short videos describing actions and projects.
This is what I believe makes a network strong: not rigid, predetermined structures, but rather an openness to open doors and boundaries, create links, foster participation, and harness the power of shared strategy and a vision for the future—a future in which we can dream, hope, and desire.
On March 31, 2023, Giovanni Vergani received the honor of Meritorious Citizen from President Sergio Mattarella in recognition of his commitment to social service and the TikiTaka project.