New pathways are founded in creativity
Turning Point is an actual opportunity for vulnerable women to access the job market and regain confidence and self-reliance.
Turning Point: new pathways
The results
Women in vulnerable situations helped
Hours of psycho-emotional support provided
Hours of professional coaching and tutoring
Women recruited within the cooperative
2019/2021
Concluded
In collaboration with: Progetto Quid
THE CHALLENGE: equal employment opportunities for women
The data emerging from the job market paint a picture of great gender inequality.
The employment rate of women, in Europe, continues to be significantly lower than that of men, with a percentage gap of 11.5%.
According to the most recent Eurostat data, the percent of employed women between the ages of 20 and 64 is 66.5%, compared to 78% of men.
A gap present with differing numbers in all European countries, and which sees Italy trailing behind with a record 53.1% low in female employment.
This means that 1 in 2 women of working-age is unemployed.
In such a context it is easy to predict how the gender gap may pose a greater risk of social and occupational discrimination to any vulnerable woman living in uncertain circumstances or belonging to disadvantaged or special-needs groups.
THE GOAL: to assist women with a history of vulnerability
The aim of the project is to support women with challenging personal circumstances, victims of violence or human trafficking, disabled women or migrants, and to help them become self-reliant through training and stable employment in the fashion industry.
A process of personal and professional growth not limited to training in the field, but coupled with mental health support provided by external professionals, as well as the provision of a monthly work experience grant, effectively backing the women with financial support during their training.
OUR PROJECT: a sustainable and socially-aware enterprise in service of women’s empowerment
Transforming vulnerabilities into added value is a challenge that lies at the heart of this project, which intends to develop new pathways and provide opportunities for those women who, due to personal circumstances or past trauma, struggle in accessing the job market.
An actual turning point that materialised through the intersecting of Costa Crociere Foundation and Quid, a socially-aware enterprise that aims to promote the employment of vulnerable women with manual labour opportunities.
The company is committed to producing ethical fashion through the “Progetto Quid” label, which creates clothing and accessories using fabric offcuts from high-end fashion labels Made in Italy, providing them with a second life and reducing the environmental impact of landfill.
All the women who join the project receive mental health support and participate in a training programme, tutored by professional seamstresses in the production department, to develop skills that will result in stable employment in the dressmaking industry.
A unique business model, whereby the values of work and social inclusion converge with the principles of the circular economy, “Progetto Quid” has won prestigious international awards: first prize at the European social innovation competition; the UN Momentum for Change award in the Women for Results category; the Civil Society Prize of the European Economic and Social Committee; and the Angelo Ferro Prize for Social Innovation.
This work links to other projects of the Foundation that support women, such as “Quit the silence”, “A safe haven” and “Red shoes on tour”.
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