Identification of PD partners:

Badalona. Construyendo Deseos, creando realidades ES-341
Angers: AOPI.NET FR-PDL-2001-10223
Livorno: Coast revitalization IT-G-TOS-016
Ancona: Le cooperative sociali marchigiane: modello da sviluppare e da esportare
IT-G-MAR-014

A. RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

1. Common interest, methodology and underlying problem

The present agreement is settled among four European partners coming from three different countries, France, Italy and Spain, that have met in Badalona on the 11th of April of 2002 to know each other, exchange information on the respective national projects and geographical, social and economical environment and on the aims and objectives attended regarding the transnational co-operation to be developed. Besides this, there has also been an high exchange of information via email and telephone. The following texts reflects the agreements and common activities that partners have agreed to carry on.
From the description of the different programmes, we can trace some elements that, either by their similarity or because of their differences and contrasts, constitute the core common interests areas on which we want to focus this transnational co-operation.

1.- all the projects aim at the integration into employment for persons who find special difficulties in entering the labour market, either for their gender, age, or social condition or either because they have gone through processes of exclusion.

2.- the use of information and communication technologies in the integration process, either as a support facility to the guidance and coaching process, or on the actions of learning and development of competencies and skills.

3.- the development of the processes of personnalised coaching in the pathways to socio-professional integration into employment and self-employment.

4.- the research for models of self-employment in the frame of the thrird sector and social economy (micro enterprises and entreprises of integration)
Being the late our common interests areas, and even if the parts may have differences in their approaches at national level, we can identify some similar, complementary or innovative strategies that will be the object of the transnational common project.

The title given to this TCA, 4 I TO WORK, represents the joint effort of the 4 partners to afford better conditions for work –employment and self-employment- following the principles of: Innovation, Integration, Imagination and International work.

2. Lessons learned from previous relevant actions

Some partners share several years of very concrete experience in transnational co-operation. This experience has prooved to be an important factor in the ease in which the transnational co-operation was established. Some of the organisations within partnership of the project have already participated in ESF founded Initiatives, performing studies, organising exchanges and developing common approaches, tools and methodologies that have prooved useful to obtain deeper insight in existing problems, getting in contact and building relationships between social partners and gaining an expertise in the intervention on the problems that cause social exclusion.

At the same time, reality and previous experiences demonstrate that different target groups receive and process resources differently. This project foresees the introduction of a mainstream approach for equal opportunities considering all specific elements of different target groups, offering the resources needed to each of them, with the aim of reaching similar results between them. Moreover, we consider necessary the introduction of approaches considering integrated and personnalised processes of integration, scaping from the traditionnal lineal gradual interventions, that don’t success in providing adequate reponses to the target groups needs.

Another important lesson to consider is the need to enhance the structures and services to be able to create one’s own employment, as a possible result and opportunity of integration pathways, guaranting the technical support and follow-up of these initiatives (either individually and in groups – enterprise of integration).

3. The common objectives of the DP's

From the analysis of the different national projects we have identified three themes that are of mutual high interest to the partners and that will guide the common objectives of our partnership. The themes are described in the following paragraphs.

INTEGRATED PERSONNALISED PATHWAYS INTO EMPLOYMENT AND SELF-EMPLOYMENT -
The different projects have a stress on the integration into employment and self-employment of persons with specific difficulties, and are interested in implementing common co-operation activities on this field, either in the form of organisational learning physical and virtual exchanges or in the form of the development of studies, methodologies or products.

THE STUDY OF THE DIFFERENT REALITIES AND THE METODOLOGY FOR THE INTEGRATED PATHWAYS TO EMPLOYMENT AND SELF-EMPLOYMENT .
The projects are interested in identifying and putting in contrast the different difficulties for employment and self-employment existing in every region and in the impact that the third sector -social economy may have on these issues.

ITC APPLICATIONS FOR LEARNING AND EMPOWERMENT
All the projects aim at the modernisation of the structures of support and assistance in the integration process of disfavoured persons and are very interested in exchanging know how, experience and methodologies on this sense. This aspect has also been defined as a core common theme on the transnational partnership.

Therefore, we identify the following common objectives:

Creation of community network among the bodies involved and promotion of the mutual knowledge (organisations, actions, problematic and general aspects) for responsible politians, technical team and responsible organisation members.
Contrast of realities and intervention methodologies at the integration process employment and self-employment.
Creation of an international forum to exhibit and compare the equal opportunities methodologies of intervention and with one virtual forum.
To generate and consolidate a new discourse and innovation culture of social enterprises and an effective methodology on mainstreaming in the territory itself.
To ensure a balanced representation between the different areas and working committees of the members of the network.
To disseminate the project results and outputs
To evaluate the project development and outputs

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