Starting over: Restoring hope through entrepreneurship

The project called Ricomincio da QUI  or ‘I’m starting over from here’ began in July 2019 and is implemented by PerMicro, a microfinance institution and a client of the CEB. It provides people in the Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta and Liguria regions with tools, support and training to realise their business goals and live the life they want. In March 2019 the CEB approved a €176,000 grant from its Social Dividend Account to support the project.

PerMicro works with a network of partners on the project, including the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Juvenile and Community Justice, and MicroLab Association, a non-profit organisation that supports people with social and economic challenges.

Stefano Messana, from MicroLab Association, says, “All of the participants are leaving the justice system so they have a pressing need to find a sustainable livelihood so they can support themselves or their family. The project partners support them to identify, describe and plan a professional goal and develop the skills to make it a reality.”

Overcoming challenges

Participants may start out distrustful of people wanting to help them and may also face other obstacles, including social marginalisation, a lack of support networks, difficulty in accessing or using digital tools, and physical and psychological problems linked to living under judicial restrictions.

Dr. Marina Mureddu, a social worker with the Ministry of Justice, who works on the project says, “A person living under a judicial sentence encounters considerable difficulties, both in finding stable work and in maintaining that work. So the prospect of being independent and relying on their own experiences and passions is very attractive.

“This project enables them to work with business experts to design a business idea and plan that opens up new hope for their future. It gives dignity to their aspirations and the possibility that their design idea could be realised, and that they may even be able to access funding.”

MicroLab Association delivers live and online training to participants on business models, digital tools, accounting, marketing and management. They also support participants with mentoring courses to enable them to develop their business goals. Participants often have well-defined design ideas, and have identified the sector they wanted to work in, from catering to tree felling and gardening.

A careful, tailored approach

Stefania Guida, from MicroLab Association says, “We believe it’s very important, when mentoring people, to understand the beneficiary well. We do a call with the social worker to understand each person’s situation and we’re also careful when passing the responsibility of working with a person from one partner to another. Ensuring continuity is vital to maintain the benefits for the participants on the project.

“The people we’re working with need time and support to put their experiences behind them and to readjust to the world, and to the working world. Many of them learn a lot from their journey and their support from social workers and are determined to succeed.”

Dr Daniela Rosas is a trainer on the project. She says, “It’s very important to offer a project like this to people leaving the justice system because it helps them to become active agents in their own future. They become more aware of their goals and abilities and they’re supported to develop the resources they need to achieve their potential. They develop the skills and attitudes they need to realise their professional objectives and live the life they want.”

Breaking down barriers

Reintegrating into the world of work can be difficult when, in addition to past difficulties related to training and skills, there are also obstacles such as social prejudice. Yet the project is helping to break down barriers even here.

Dr Rosas continues, “This project is helping the wider public to understand the challenges faced by people leaving detention so that a more inclusive society can be created. The ‘I’m starting over from here’ project is an innovative initiative in the field of restorative justice when there are currently few other examples in Italy.”

The CEB’s Country Manager for Italy, Lucia Bucciareli Ducci concludes, “The CEB is proud to support this important social inclusion project aimed at individuals who have completed non-custodial sentences.

“Historically, the Council of Europe has played a pioneering role in promoting the humane treatment of offenders, decent prison conditions and socially effective and rehabilitative penal sanctions and measures. It’s therefore natural that the Bank has welcomed this project aimed at promoting the reintegration into society of people subjected to restrictive measures of freedom.

“We strongly believe in this pilot project conceived by PerMicro and the Ministry of Justice, and the preliminary outcomes are very promising.” 

The project is due for completion at the end of April this year.