- Fundación Cepsa has selected four projects aimed at improving the quality of life of people with functional diversity suffering from social exclusion
- €439,000 of prize money has already been distributed—to 50 NGOs—in the 12 editions of the awards that have taken place in the Canary Islands
The winners of Fundación Cepsa's 2019 Social Value Awards in the Canary Islands are: the Asociación Familiar Pro Discapacitados Intelectuales de Tenerife (ASPRONTE — an association for the families of those with intellectual disabilities in Tenerife), Iniciativas Humanas (an association for social projects), CIVITAS (an association offering centers specializing in people with intellectual disabilities), and Nuevo Futuro Tenerife (an organization providing underprivileged children with family homes), thanks to their projects that are aimed at the social integration of the most vulnerable sections of society. The programs—which have been sponsored by Cepsa professionals in the Canary Islands—focus on functional diversity, social exclusion and young people, and will be carried out during the coming year.
The jury for the awards met today at Cepsa's offices in Santa Cruz de Tenerife to select the winners from a total of 56 nominees. Among other aspects, they assessed how each project is managed, as well as its technical and economic viability, the number of people who would directly benefit from it, its level of innovation, and the potential for Cepsa employees to actively participate as volunteers.
The jury was made up of the Deputy Minister of Social Rights of the Government of the Canary Islands, Gemma Martínez; the Ombudsman for the Canary Islands, Rafael Yanes; the Managing Director of Citizen Participation and Diversity for the Council of Tenerife, Nauzet Gugliota; the Minister of Employment for the Council of Gran Canaria, Juan Díaz; the Delegate Councilor for Social Services in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Carmen Luz Vargas; the head of Tenerife Solidario, Beatriz Sicilia; Cepsa's Canary Islands Director, José Manuel Fernández-Sabugo; and the Head of Fundación Cepsa in the Canary Islands, Belén Machado.
Since their 2008 launch in the Canary Islands, Fundación Cepsa's Social Value Awards have contributed to 46 projects of various kinds, not including the four winners of this edition. In total, including the 2019 competition, the prizes awarded have so far totaled €439,000.
Award-Winning Initiatives
The ASPRONTE project is a physiotherapy service for children and young adults up to the age of 21 with an intellectual disability or multiple disabilities (sensory, motor, communication disorders, and affective and behavioral disorders).
The service aims to improve its users' quality of life and is integrated into the education system. Comprehensive early years intervention is essential as this is the stage at which suitable action yields the greatest results.
Iniciativas Humanas will run the 'Aporto' program, which aims to promote volunteering as a tool for social integration among children and young offenders. These volunteers will accompany elderly people suffering from loneliness in care homes in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Prior to volunteering, these young people will take part in training and awareness activities to transform them into agents of change.
The CIVITAS project seeks to promote the personal autonomy of people aged 18–65 with varying degrees of intellectual disabilities in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, via a series of workshops aimed at improving their personal and social skills. The classes will center around issues such as harassment, self-control, conflict resolution, sexuality, emotions, self-image, basic hygiene, and language, and will use virtual reality devices as a methodological tool.
The Nuevo Futuro Tenerife Casa Verde will be transformed into a space that provides opportunities for gaining personal, social and work skills through discussions, workshops, seminars, and other initiatives. The organization's work will focus on creating inclusive and active spaces in which different groups at risk of social exclusion can participate, including those in long-term unemployment, immigrants and other culturally diverse groups.
Candidates in the Canary Islands for the Employees' Special Award
The jury has also selected the initiatives submitted by the Asociación para la Promoción del Empleo y Cohesión Social (Creativa) and Fundación ADSIS as the Canary Islands' nominees for the Employees' Special Award, an additional prize awarded by Cepsa professionals working in the countries where the Foundation operates: Spain, Portugal, Colombia and Brazil.
Cepsa staff will choose three of the 14 nominees (two for each area) to share a €30,000 prize pot to get their initiatives off the ground. The results will be announced shortly.