- Six projects have been recognized in this edition, four of which are related to the ecological transition
- Alfonso Candón, the Regional Government of Andalusia’s Territorial Delegate of Social Inclusion in Cádiz, attended the event
Javier Rodríguez Ros, Subdelegate of the Regional Government of Andalusia in Campo de Gibraltar, presided over the jury, and was accompanied by the Territorial Delegate of Social Inclusion, Youth, Family, and Equality, Alfonso Candon; Maria Teresa Garcia Leon, Vice President of Social Welfare of the Association of Municipalities in the region; Francisco Gil, Coordinator of the General State Administration in Campo de Gibraltar; Eva Gil, Councilor for Social Affairs of the San Roque City Council; Jose Luis Guerrero, Cepsa professional; and those responsible for Fundación Cepsa in Andalusia and Cadiz, Jesus Velasco and Estrella Blanco, respectively.
Estrella Blanco highlighted "the work put in by Cepsa professionals who, as sponsors of solidarity, use the Social Value Awards to bring these social initiatives to the company." She also commended "the work done by the movement of associations in Campo de Gibraltar. The 38 entities that have submitted a project this year are proof of this hard and amazing work, many of them being very original and innovative, combining social action with the energy transition to ensure a fair transition that reaches everyone. Congratulations to the winners."
Javier Rodríguez Ros, as president of the jury, thanked all the social entities and members of the jury for participating, stressing that these awards "care for and support our social fabric in a way that’s very much needed.” And Alfonso Candón highlighted the importance of "giving visibility to entities that carry out excellent work, entities that are amazingly humane, compassionate, responsive, and caring." He also called for everyone to "keep working on this private company-public administration relationship that’s essential for improving people’s quality of life and ensuring social justice".
Winning projects
The jury decided to award two entities that provide care for people with Alzheimer's: Asociación de Familiares de Enfermos de Alzheimer del Campo de Gibraltar, which has a therapeutic multisensory program that uses virtual reality and is set to benefit 90 people directly; and AFA Barreño, which will develop a project to improve the quality of life of 20 users through interactive technology, a project that also promotes the ecological transition.
Fegadi and Asociación Gaditana de Espina Bífida e Hidrocefalia won with their proposals that bring sustainability and art together. The former will put on a play featuring inclusion and environmental preservation as the main theme, with 50 users participating; while the latter will create a comic and a story to raise awareness of this disability and other related ones in schools throughout the region, planting trees and carrying out other activities related to the energy transition. Approximately 2,000 people are expected to benefit.
Fundación Cruz Blanca won the jury's favor with its energy improvement and sustainability project for its homeless shelter, focused mainly on ensuring the supply of hot water and raising awareness about energy efficiency and green energy among users and staff. The project will directly benefit 75 people.
Finally, Asociación Provincial de Familiares y Personas con Trastorno del Espectro Autista also won with its initiative to provide technological tools to its services. This will not only let them stop using paper but also provide more efficient management and assistance to its 180 users.
In the Social Value Awards 2023, the economic endowment in Campo de Gibraltar is up to €65,000. In total, some €435,000 will be distributed among the best social projects in all the areas in which the competition is being run.
Employees’ Special Award
The jury also put forward two other projects as candidates for the Employees’ Special Award. They were the initiatives presented by the Campo de Gibraltar Food Bank and Asociación para la Promoción y Participación de Personas con Discapacidad (Apropadis 2.0). Five winners will be chosen from among the fourteen projects competing for this award, and will receive 45,000 euros, which will be announced in mid-December.