The Association that aims to promote the social inclusion of those on the margins of society, involve the local community and raise the awareness of institutions towards contributing to the development of support networks was set up in Modena in 1978. Porta Aperta aims to be an inclusive community that offers various services to those in need - from clinics and residential care to a soup kitchen, dormitories and the Portobello social emporium at Festival della Migrazione. Lucrezia Lanzani interviews Alberto Caldana, chairman of Associazione Porta Aperta, for FARE INSIEME Charity
FARE INSIEME CHARITY is the spin-off of the FARE INSIEME project dedicated to the presentation of some onlus and non-profit associations with roots in the area around Bologna, Ferrara and Modena and that carry out extraordinarily important and crucial work for the entire community. Here are some of their stories.
by Lucrezia Lanzani*
“Accogliere:
ricevere, sentire, accettare con un determinato atteggiamento o stato d’animo”.
“To welcome: to receive, feel and accept in a specific manner or frame of mind”.
Associazione Porta Aperta has been hard at work in Modena for over 45 years with a precise objective in mind, i.e. to counter poverty and inequality and to offer the possibility of building a respectable life to those in need. Over time, the association has set up a range of services destined to those who live on the margins of society. “We began with a consultation centre, and then we became a place that welcomed people. Later, we also introduced a soup kitchen that now gives out over 200 meals a day,” illustrates Chairman Alberto Caldana.
Over the years, the services grew to meet the needs that emerged in the territory. Today, amongst other things, Porta Aperta manages clinics for those who cannot access the National Health Service offering a medical, a dental and an eye clinic. “Those who live on the streets often deal with significant issues and have difficulty accessing medical assistance services,” explains Caldana.
In addition to health services, there is also residential care. The association welcomes homeless people and, over the past few years, has created a project to help exclusively women in need. But Porta Aperta also provides legal assistance, offering support for residence issues among others, and another important service offered is the street unit whereby operators and volunteers meet the people directly where they live.
Porta Aperta also manages the Portobello Social Emporium which helps around 600 families. People with temporary economic issues can shop just like in a normal supermarket using a card that registers the situation of their family and their income. In 2018, the association also started Arca Lavoro, a social enterprise with the objective of helping people become autonomous through work. “Around 30 people are currently employed. Most activities concern the economy of re-use, like the market and shop we have in the centre,” adds the Chairman.
Behind all these activities, we have an extensive network of people, as Porta Aperta works with around 700 volunteers and over 60 operators, plus the workers of the social enterprise. Volunteering does not only mean providing operational support, it is an act of active citizenship. They also include students who work in lieu of their school suspension or people doing community service.
For over 10 years, the association is also active on a cultural level by organising the Festival della Migrazione, a public event that deals with the topics of welcoming and inclusion. New forms of vulnerability have been emerging over the past few years. One of the most evident is that of the so-called “poor worker”, people who have a job but cannot afford living accommodation. To deal with this situation, Porta Aperta, with the support of the Modena territory, has set up a 20-bed Ostello dell’Autonomia precisely for those who work but find themselves in dire straits. Many activities are supported by fund-raising.
“Many of our services and projects are in fact also supported by the Modena community and, over the years, there have also been corporate volunteering projects with groups who take an active part in the activities of the association, for example by preparing meals for the soup kitchen,” concludes Alberto Caldana.
*Lucrezia Lanzani is a former student of Liceo Steam Emilia, who is now studying Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam. She is eighteen years old and has always been interested in social issues. For more than three years, she has been volunteering in various organizations in her community.
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