APROXIMAR- COOPERATIVA DE SOLIDARIEDADE SOCIAL, CRL

Aproximar(APX) is a NGO aiming to enhance people, communities and organisations’ human and social capital as a strategy to strengthen their capacity to take advantage of the existing and emergent challenges and opportunities. The mission is accomplished daily by co-designing and developing tailor-made social innovation, good practices exchange and transference driven projects, besides delivering its own pack of empowering and capacity building services: training, consultancy and social intervention. APX develops, implements and provides services in 4 main sectors: 1) Education, Training and Social Capital (2007); 2) Social Economy, Entrepreneurship and Employability (2009); 3) Criminal Justice System (2012); and 4) Active Ageing and Dependent Care(2016). Our offer (programmes) always combine social science (knowledge), active methods (people) and suitable tools (technology). It counts 8 trustees (non paid members), 21 staff and more than 50 volunteers, on a daily basis, covering different expertise in human sciences, design, communication, accountancy, social innovation, mentoring and IT. APX team provides services that benefit/impact on a daily basis persons (practitioners, trainees, volunteers, persons with disadvantaged backgrounds) & (trans)national partner organisations. Last year (2020) APX provided support and services to more than 1 368 persons and 427 organisations and social enterprises in their fields of expertise; e.g. developing their organisation’s capacity building (e.g. organizational change, total quality management, introducing technology), on social economy; social innovation processes (new product development, tailored made programs and transferring of good practices); social business plans; processes and information-orientation-integration schemes in the labour market (guidance and counselling, mentoring and coaching), tailored and bLeaning courses, competences development, inclusive school, volunteering, active aging, fundraising, service design, social support, design, amongst others. APX is certified by the General Direction of Employment and Labour Relations (DGERT) to provide training programs on management, social inclusion services and self-development and an entity accredited by Authority of Administration of COMPETE 2020 in innovation, quality, entrepreneurship and internationalisation. Aproximar works with the adult population, with different profiles, according to the education program in question. The common condition among the recipients of adult training programs is that they are associated with a situation of social disadvantage, such as unemployed, including long-term and looking for a first job; potential entrepreneurs; people in prison or in probation; parents and other educators; volunteers, including mentors; informal caregivers; older people. Any adult can join Aproximar's training programs, as long as he / she expresses a need and willingness to develop personally. The ages of the recipients vary between 18 and 90 years, given the variability of programs offered at different sectors.