STRANAIDEA, a social solidarity cooperative : cooperativa di solidarieta sociale

Stranaidea was founded in 1986. It is a cooperative; it employs 12 women and 16 men among its members and one external female worker. It is active in the Turin area (Piedmont). It promotes and manages projects for underprivileged people and/or facilitating their involvment in a working environment. It has a budget of around 1.150.000.000 It. Lire (around 700 .000 US $).

Members of Stranaidea have experience of solidarity projects. Getting together has been a way of improving their professional skills and creating room for part of the staff with specific management responsibilities. Stranaidea projects are supported by the local municipality (Comune), University, Public Health Service, borstal and different social services in Turin.

Projects are dealing with agricolture, catering, a University library, research on social issues and services for underprivileged groups (the disabled, young people). In order to identify job profiles for disabled and underprivileged people Stranaidea has created three new cooperatives.

Stranaidea is organized in departments with their own responsible person. Members of the cooperative come together on different issues in informal ways and formally at the General Assembly (4-5 times a year).

All members of Stranaidea have basically the same salary (of around 1.000.000 It. Lire, 700 US $). People with management responsibilities receive a small additional salary. Stranaidea workers regularly attend training seminars (usually the ones promoted by the national Consortium "Gino Mattarelli").

Stranaidea is also part of a local solidarity consortium that allows a stimulating exchange of information with other groups with similar activities. The financial situation is extremely positive and the budget is equally distributed between salaries and investment in current and future projects. The financial situation is guaranted by the traditional banking mechanism which is seen as a positive and safe guarantee. Stranaidea members are also studying the possibilities of creating an internal social fund.