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The Cricket/il Grillo

A - DESCRIPTION OF THE GOOD PRACTICE

A1 - Title in original language
IL GRILLO

A2 - Title in English
THE CRICKET

A3 - Location of GP (national)
Italy

A4 - Location of GP (regional)
Veneto

A5 - Economic field of activity
E Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities

A6 - Ultimate purpose of GP

  • To address environmental concerns
  • To create or conserve employment
  • To provide educational opportunities

A7 - Spatial scale
Regional (small scale)

A8a - Start date
May 1995

A8b - Anticipated end date (if applicable)
ongoing

A9 - Short description of the GP
The Social Cooperative "Il Grillo" was founded on the 8th of May of 1995 by a group of young people in Mirano, little municipality located in teh Porvince of Venice, northen Italy, who were part of a cultural association addressing environmental topics and by other members of an association which aimed at raising the awareness of the territory about mental health problems. Its fundamental objective is to interact with two different types of awareness:

  1. awareness on environmental protection;
  2. awareness on the opportunities of employment integration of young people of the territory in a condition of psychiatric problems (necessity born out from the closure of the asylums and the request to re-place the young ex-patients).

A10 - Key words relating to the GP
Environmental protection
Employment integration
Waste management and re-use
Recovery services
Importance of person

A11 - Objectives of the GP
The basic aims of the "Il Grillo" Cooperative are the following:

  • to create job-places;
  • the job-placement of psychiatric patients, who usually come from the local social services and employment centers (which select people who are basically able to work);
  • to find a solution to other needs of people affected by psychiatric problems, such as their free time or housing issue, letting them live together - the opportunity is in fact provided to access to houses and flats specifically designated for them, also in collaboration with the City of Venice;
  • to give back to the territory covered by the cooperative's activities a responsible approach to work and entrepreneurship, by taking care of the needs of the person included in the cooperative and promoting environmental awareness

A12 - Activities that have taken place
Il Grillo carries out activities in three different fields:

  1. Public services of waste management;
  2. Waste collection services for individuals;
  3. Recovery General Services (Recovery and recycling of bulky waste store, Recovery and sale of reusable cartridges)

A13 - Achievements of the GP
The cooperative puts its focus not simply on the activity related to the waste management, but provides in it an integrated approach that gives priority to the concrete re-use of the waste (this is the backbone of the cooperative's work) as it can be done from the latter. As regards the involvement of employees with psychiatric problems, Il Grillo works differently if compared to normal enterprises: it requires neither the certification of disability nor to organize training courses for the job placement. The basic methodology of work is to select services that occupy more people with disabilities. At the same time, the services offered by the Cooperative become increasingly personalized and specific for those persons who directly deal with them. More, the cooperative tries to solve the other needs of people affected by psychiatric problems. The cooperative invests seriously and systematically in the means of work and production. It's in possession of both the environmental certification and the security certification. It offers professionals and high competences for the relationships with the public sector, recognized to such an extent that some public companies required the cooperative to join a partnership.


B - IMPACT ON SOCIETY AND ECONOMY

B1 - How has the GP impacted on the following?

B1a - Legal/financial exclusion
Neutral impacts
Any other comments?

B1b - Creation or conservation of local employment
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
One of the main aims of the cooperative is to crate job-places and, specially for psychiatric patients

B1c - Adaptation to new realities
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
The GP constantly strives to maintain the ability to adjust the cooperative organization to the growth of the services requested sufficiently high.

B1d - Cross sectoral working
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
The activity of waste management is strictly connected with the re-use activity and sales of regenerating products.

B1e - Enablement of social enterpreneurship
Very positive impacts
Any other comments?
The GP tries to give back to the territory covered by the cooperative's activities a responsible approach to work and entrepreneurship, by taking care of the needs of the person included in the cooperative and promoting environmental awareness

B1f - Amenities for local people
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
The activities of separate collection, of street cleaning and of consulting services on the disposal of waste and on matters relating to security are very important for local people. Also the activity of re-use and the sale of the resulting products are very appreciated.

B1g - Educational opportunities
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
The basic methodology of work is to select services that occupy more people with disabilities and to create for them personalized paths of job placement.

B1h - Crisis response
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
Surely the acivity of waste management and of security are very up to date. The activity of re-use is a good solution to combat the crisis. Il Grillo plans to increase the sustainability of the provision of services to improve its market net.

B1i - Local financial environment for social enterpreneurs
Neutral impacts
Any other comments?

B1j - Local policy environment for social enterpreneurs
Neutral impacts
Any other comments?

B1k - National financial environment for social enterpreneurs
Impacts not known
Any other comments?

B1l - National policy environment for social enterpreneurs
Impacts not known
Any other comments?


C - PARTNERSHIPS & GOVERNANCE

C1 - Is the governance of this GP fully inclusive?
Beneficiaries are somewhat involved in governance
Comments and learning points
In the Cooperative partecipate 90 people not all associated but also employers

C2 - How influential has this GP been on local or national decision makers?
A little influence achieved
Comments and learning points
The GP doesn't have strict relationship with local or national decision makers even if they work a lot with the public sector. In most cases the cooperative is considered by the PA as a succesfull example in the filed of social cooperative of the region.

C3 - How much partnership work has been involved?
Some cross sectoral partnership working
Comments and learning points
The services offered amount to about eighty so there is the possibility to involve the partnership work.


D - PR & TRANSFERABILITY

D1 - Please describe how the GP communicated its experience and success to the public
Il Grillo offers professionals and high competences for the relationships with the public sector, recognized to such an extent that some public companies required the cooperative to join a partnership. Also it regularly takes part in calls for funding or tenders (especially those with social clauses). Il Grillo also makes specific information and publicity campaigns on the main issues addressed by the cooperative (environment prevention and integration of psychiatric patients).

D2 - Please describe how the GP communicated with local or national decision makers?
Il Grillo communicated with local authorities offering their services and partecipating in calls for tenders and foundings.

D3 - Are there any elements of this project that you think would transfer particularly well to other contexts?
One of the most important element of this reality is the union of the awereness of the importance of environment prevention and the innovative approach to the educational measures for people affected by psychiatric problems. Also the entrepreneurial approach of this social enterprise is important for its activity making Il Grillo a model for the territory.


E - RESOURCES AND SUSTAINABILITY

E1a - Total annual income of GP 2011/12
€ 3.450.000

E1b - How is this made up?
For its financing the cooperative addresses banks, but also asks for loans by its shareholders, under an interest rate in line with the market rules.

E1c - Details of human resources
90 persons, of whom 34 associates, 39 employees and 17 temporary contract-based workers participate to the Cooperative.

E1d - Details of technology
The most significant technological application is the designing and management of collection centers (recycling eco-centers).

E1e - Details of financial investment for start-up/early stage
None to date

E1f - Details of external support
The cooperative, for its financing, addresses the banks, but asks also for loans by its shareholders.

E2 - If public funding were withdrawn, could the GP continue to exist?
Il Grillo has an enterpreneurial approach so, even if the public funding were withdrawn, the cooperative continue to exist thanks the improve of its activities (expecially the sustainability of the provision of services) and of the market network that is one of its future goal.


F - EXECUTIVE BODY AND CONTACT INFORMATION

F1 - Who set up the GP? Partnership (please give details)
Il Grillo was founded by a group of young people who were part of a cultural association addressing environmental topics and by other members of an association which aimed at raising the awareness of the territory about mental health problems. Then this partnership make il Grillo became the most know type B social cooperatives in the province of Venice.

F2 - Who runs the GP?
Not-for-profit organisation

F3 - Short description/comments
The cooperative is also well internazionalized; in fact it already works with Arge, an Austrian company working in the field of waste recycling. Il Grillo is pretty interested in getting to know other foreign companies dealing with the two main themes in which Il Grillo works – the environmental issue with particular reference to recycling and work integration of those who are affected by psychiatric problems – in order to understand how to address these issues in a foreign framework.

F4 - Contact
Gianluca Gioppato
Il Grillo
Castellana 117/B 30174 Zelarino (VE)
Italy
Telephone 041 5460148
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.ilgrillocoop.it


G - SUPPORTING INFORMATION

G1 - Photos (between 1 & 3)

G2 - E documents
Flyer with Photos. Short presentation of the cooperative in Italian.
detailed presentation of the GP_eng

G3 - Any other useful information

 

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