In 2020, the pandemic crisis had a clear effect on the socio-economic conditions of Italians. Women and young people pay the greatest price. It is no coincidence that last year Italy suffered the steepest drop in the female activity rate (almost -2% compared to the EU average) while 23,4% of young Italians aged 15-29 are unemployed and without training, against an EU average of 12,9%. And although "a very strong growth rate" is estimated for 2021, at the same time the number of families and people in poverty will continue to increase dramatically. Just over two million families (7,7% of the total from 6,4% in 2019) and over 5,6 million people (9,4% from 7,7%) are in conditions of absolute poverty. This is what emerges from "The Colors of Inclusion", the Intesa Sanpaolo research created with the aim of intercepting the trends on which to graft and direct the Institute's initiatives in line with the social change taking place in the country.
The document is divided into 14 thematic areas: Ecological Transition to manage the risks associated with climate change; Digital Inclusion to build an inclusive and open culture of innovation; Disability to guarantee people with disabilities fundamental rights; Social Housing as a valid and innovative response to contrast housing problems; Job placement to promote support for employment, training and requalification of workers; Social Agriculture as opportunities for people from disadvantaged backgrounds; Third Age to promote interventions in support of active aging and strategies to ensure that the balance of welfare and health is maintained; addictions to act against addictions through a "multidisciplinary" approach; Gender violence to counter a transversal phenomenon, which affects one third of women in the world; Child Poverty; Confiscated assets so that they are made available to the community; Redevelopment of the suburbs to generate development models capable of strengthening inclusion and cohesion; Repopulation of uninhabited areas to promote development actions capable of enhancing the natural and cultural heritage of uninhabited areas; Enhancement of cultural heritage to carry out activities aimed at promoting knowledge of the national heritage and ensuring the best conditions for its use, in order to encourage development in favor of the economy and employment.
The third sector it represents "an invaluable heritage for Italian society, to be protected and enhanced also in the light of the role it can play in supporting families in difficulty and, more generally, in maintaining the country", reads the report. And the role of private individuals in the co-planning and identification, together with non-profit entities, of objectives and solutions is increasingly important.
The document indicates some of the best practices implemented for each thematic area, from which to draw inspiration for experimenting with innovative solutions and tackling social problems.
The banking group led by Carlo Messina has carried out many social interventions. With the Intesa Sanpaolo Program for the Needy, a support plan for fragile people created by Social Initiatives with the support and in co-planning with Charitable Organizations, Entities and Associations, in the three-year period 2018-2021, 14.450.201 meals were distributed and 1.067.299 beds, 243.941 medicines and 203.149 garments were offered.
“To be a designer you need to know reality. So we started studying the fragility of our country's territories. We have taken all the public data, we have aggregated the sense and we have tried to interpret and read them intelligently. Thus was born 'The colors of inclusion'”, he said Elena Jacobs, Head of social enhancement and relations with the Universities of Intesa Sanpaolo.
