L'Orsa Maggiore Società Cooperativa Sociale

L’Orsa Maggiore was created in 1990 with the aim of favouring the social inclusion of people that live in situations of discomfort (low disability, socially disadvantaged, etc.) in working and learning activities, favouring a progressive autonomy. Through work activities and training the cooperative produces social inclusion, placing the individual and his needs at the first place. Furthermore, we realize workshops and recreational activities, school workshops and awareness raising events. We put great attention on local cooperation and have demonstrated the ability to bring social change at community level. To create these work and learning opportunities L’Orsa Maggiore manages different types of activities as: maintenance of green areas, cemetery services, cleaning services, assembly activities, bakery activities. Moreover, it offers specific services for users as: support for occupational placements, alternations between daily centres and working activities, management of group apartments for adults with disabilities and/or low welfare thresholds, light residential pathways. In order to guarantee an integrated intervention the Cooperative accomplished to build a tight collaboration with Malo’s community, the municipal administration, other public authorities (local health authorities, associations and near municipalities) and also private companies. From its foundation, the Cooperative hosted more than 200 disadvantaged people from the province of Vicenza and the territory covered by ULSS 8 and ULSS 7 health authorities and more than 50% has been then employed in other public and/or private enterprises. The assembly and packaging work activity is realized at the workshop of the Cooperative, and it involves the most of disadvantaged people. Here we also realize stone mosaics. The other services (cleaning, gardening, etc.) are realized outside from the context of the cooperative, and this is a great value added to improve users' autonomy. Since 2013 the cooperative is managing a project called “group apartment” (supported co-housing), which consist in 5 different apartments, specially made to host people with low disability, but also people that are simply in a situation of social disadvantage. The goal is to improve their capacity to integrate themselves with the community and achieve autonomy in all aspects of daily life. This project was born from the idea to improve their lives “outside the walls”' coming into contact and in collaboration with associations and informal groups of young people and also the community in general, everything is an occasion for social inclusion and an opportunity to spread the culture of reciprocal respect and acceptance of differences in general.