Clece presents Commitment Awards to most notable projects in integration and raising awareness of socially vulnerable collectives
- Awards in the four categories of Disability, Social Exclusion, Gender-Based Violence and the Elderly, were presented to Dedines, Línea 10, Victoria Fuenlabrada and the Vianorte-Laguna Foundation.
- The jury, consisting of figures from public institutions and civil society, assessed 157 candidates.
Madrid, 3 March 2015. Yesterday Clece held the awards ceremony for its Commitment Awards, which in this first year of the initiative went to the associations Dedines, Línea 10, Victoria Fuenlabrada and the Vianorte-Laguna Foundation, for their work in helping people from vulnerable social groups.
The aim of the awards is to recognise the work of social entities and not-for-profit organisations in the Region of Madrid that help find work for people with disabilities, women who have suffered gender-based violence and people at risk of social exclusion, and provide elderly people with the assistance they need. The awards were created as a reflection of the social reality of Clece, which has more than 5,000 people from vulnerable social groups among its workforce. “These men and women, all with incredible stories of their own self-improvement and success, are an example of the pride felt and the hard work put in by everyone who forms part of the huge family that is Clece”, stated the Clece chairman, Cristóbal Valderas.
“Our social commitment means going beyond providing a public social service or meeting certain conditions,” Valderas added. It means getting to places where public administration cannot usually reach. We try to close the circle once they have been to a social centre. How? By really integrating people from these social groups into society, trying to offer them an opportunity to work in our company.”
The occasion was held at the Teatros del Canal in Madrid and was hosted by the journalist Constantino Mediavilla, with Clece revealing nominations and winners. The awards themselves were presented by Irene Villa, who chaired the jury, in the Disability category; Dolores Navarro, Madrid City Councillor for Family and Social Affairs, in the Social Exclusion category; Cristóbal Valderas, Clece chairman, in the Gender-Based Violence category; and Jesús Fermosel, Madrid Provincial Councillor for Social Affairs, in the Elderly Category.
“Congratulations to all the projects presented,” said Irene Villa, the jury chairwoman. “Congratulations to all of you who fight to make a better world through solidarity and social commitment. With your work you help us all to overcome obstacles.”
Winning projects
The jury, made up of figures from public institutions and civil society, chose four winners after assessing 157 candidates and selecting five finalists for each category. The winners are as follows:
- Dedines Association, for its “Summer Camp 2015” project, in the Disability category. Dedines is an association founded in 2009 for the defence of disabled children with special needs. For the past two years it has run camps for people affiliated with the association, which currently cares for 45 children with disabilities. With the “Summer Camp 2015”, the association organises camps with qualified staff and specific material to deal with the special needs of children with multiple disabilities.
- Línea 10 Association, for its “New Pathway 2015” project in the Social Exclusion category. The association has its origins in the Sisters of Charity of the Assumption, who work in the outlying areas of the city supporting families at risk of social exclusion. Specifically, for the past four years the “New Pathway” project has been implemented in the Usera district of Madrid helping with the social integration of families with children at risk, through social support and socio-educational interventions, at the family home or the association’s own premises. A total of 35 families and 45 children aged 3 to 12 benefit from the programme.
- Victoria Fuenlabrada Association, for its project “Wellbeing, Integration, Empowerment and Emancipation of Women Victims of Gender-Based Violence”, in the Gender-Based Violence category. This organisation, formed by women related to gender-based violence, provides victims with a programme to assess and cover their most urgent needs, through various activities such as wellbeing, job-seeking and emotional support workshops, self-protection and personal defence, and legal advice.
- Vianorte-Laguna Foundation, for its “At-Home Medical Therapy Team from the Laguna Hospital Care Centre for Dependent Persons”, in the Elderly category. The Vianorte-Laguna Foundation is a not-for profit organisation that provides care and attention for people suffering from advanced stages of illness, elderly people and patients with neurodegenerative illnesses. As part of this particular project, a medical therapy team from the Laguna Hospital Care Centre for Dependent Persons provides home care services for dependent people in situations of social vulnerability and reduced mobility who have particular therapy needs. The number of potential direct beneficiaries, in terms of single services, amounts to 5,265 people.
The four projects were awarded a prize of €6,000 each, along with an award designed by the Madrid artist José Miguel Utande and produced by an association of people with disabilities. The jury assessed the social worth and reach of the initiatives. As well as Irene Villa, Dolores Navarro and Cristóbal Valderas, the jury also included César Antón, managing director of Imserso; Carmen Balfagón, technical secretary-general for Social Affairs for the Region of Madrid; Matilde Fernández, Socialist Party member of the Madrid Assembly and Social Affairs spokeswoman for the Socialist Parliamentary Group; David Casinos, public speaker and Paralympic athlete in shot put, discus and hammer; and Pedro Montoliú, Spanish journalist and chroniclers of the city of Madrid.
The fruits of commitment
The Commitment Awards form part of the social commitment of Clece, which is based on four main pillars: employability, integration, raising awareness and caring for people.
For years the company has helped find work for people from different disadvantaged social groups, providing job opportunities for people with disabilities, people at risk of social exclusion and women who have suffered gender-based violence. Currently more than five thousand people in Clece are from these social groups, forming part of the company’s 70,000-strong workforce. To help ensure the success of such a commitment, Clece collaborates with more than 200 associations, foundations, social entities and public bodies. In the Region of Madrid, Clece has more than 11,300 employees, of whom 700 are from disadvantaged social groups.
As well as these collectives, Clece is also particularly concerned with the needs of elderly people. Every day the company cares for more than 87,000 elderly people as part of the services provided in homes for the elderly and day centres, and in the form of home help. The range of services provided (occupational workshops, intergenerational gatherings, advanced therapies, etc.) goes beyond the social services provided by public administration, with the aim of improving their quality of life and helping them with their autonomy and social integration.