- A Social Value Award helps the Association train 41 people with intellectual disabilities in the performing arts and digital communication
- A play will close the program in December
During the visit, the head of Fundación Cepsa in the Canary Islands, Belén Machado, was received by the president of Adepsi, María Eugenia Palmás, and its manager, Natascha García, and by Zuleima Rodríguez, coordinator of the organization's day services and head of the award-winning project.
Obtaining a Social Value Award is helps to generate new experiences and provide new opportunities for the project's beneficiaries, allowing them to learn more about their capabilities in different contexts, through new disciplines and the acquisition of new skills, while fostering their social inclusion.
After actively listening to a group of Adepsi users who requested to be trained as actors/actresses, the training began with the hiring of a teacher specialized in the performing arts. In addition, a communications and marketing teacher was hired to teach the use of digital resources to showcase the project through social networks and the entity's website.
To close the program, the participants of the theater workshop will perform in an comprehensive cultural festival of the living performing arts, which they are preparing to present in December.
During the meeting, Belén Machado highlighted the work carried out by Adepsi, focused on creating services centered on people, seeking to generate a change in the role of people with disabilities as full citizens who lead their own life project. "The AMAR-T project is helping a group of people with intellectual disabilities to become empowered, to improve their self-esteem, self-concept and autonomy. Their talents are enhanced by supporting them in the fostering their verbal and non-verbal expression. It is very exciting to see the joy and dedication they show, as well as the achievements they are making, and to know that the program is thus contributing to creating a different society".
For Natascha Garcia, "the support of inclusive culture is essential in a world where there are unfortunately still many barriers, not only architectural, but also social. It is important to show art and culture as a means of communication and expression of society, without labels and without stigmas, suitable for all people. The Fundación Cepsa's Social Value Award encourages us to continue supporting actions that promote the inclusion and active participation of people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in different contexts.
"Life, in the end, is experiences, but not all people have the possibility of living them; therefore, we have to be providers of opportunities that give meaning to our lives. From Adepsi we want to generate projects that add value to people's lives, that promote personal development and well-being. And projects like this one are moving in this direction," said the Association's manager.
Adepsi, an entity dedicated to the labor and social inclusion of people with disabilities, has been working for 41 years in Gran Canaria and Lanzarote to support and accompany each person with disabilities and their families in improving their quality of life, promoting their rights and creating opportunities to develop their personal projects. A model based on personalized attention, the welfare of its users, the search for training, occupational and employment opportunities, the empowerment of their autonomy and community inclusion.
Social Value Awards
These annual awards, which began in 2005, are one of the stand-out initiatives of Fundación Cepsa. They are held in the Canary Islands, Madrid, Huelva, Campo de Gibraltar, Portugal, and Colombia, and are aimed at supporting disadvantaged people, groups and sectors, in addition to promoting solidarity values by involving Cepsa's professionals, who sponsor the projects presented by the non-profit organizations.
A total of 69 projects have been carried out to date in the Canary Islands thanks to these awards, with a contribution of around €650,000 from Fundación Cepsa.
The period for submitting entries to the 2023 competition will launch at the beginning of September.
