The Culture Swap: community concierge
About this good practice
The Community Concierge is a place where services and information can be offered and received, relationships can be established, trust can be exchanged and micro-processes of mutual understanding can be built to make the community more liveable for everyone.
The "Portineria di Comunità, Spaccio di Cultura" is one of the 15 projects supported by the City of Turin - Torino Social Factory measure - and co-financed by Pon Metro, to activate mechanisms of social inclusion and to trigger processes of urban regeneration in peripheral areas with high socio-economic criticality.
The Concierge is located in a former municipal building located in the south side of Piazza della Repubblica thanks to a collaboration agreement between the Intercultural and Youth Service of the City of Turin and offers the following services:
- Shopping with the GASP (Gruppo Solidale di Acquisto di Portineria)
- parcel delivery
- errands in offices
- S.O.S. technology
- translations
- flowers delivery
- repetitions
- petsitting
- baby sitting
- tailoring
- cleaning
- leafleting
The services offered are based on the idea of reciprocity: users can get help by helping the provider in turn.
The concierge also offers a listening desk, cultural events (decided through a weekly co-design process with the inhabitants of the neighborhood) and other types of activities.
Resources needed
600.000€
Evidence of success
Over 250 residents were involved. Special attention was paid to children: along with some schools, a project was built against school leaving. In fact, more than 120 young people were mapped who were no longer connected to DAD, and managed to recover 70, who were involved in a Web Radio editorial staff. From then on, they moved closer to the studio thanks to the volunteer activity of many professors.
Potential for learning or transfer
The initiative is unique in Italy. It is the 'Community Concierge', which in Turin comes to the aid of families and single people free of charge during this period of quarantine. The 'porters' make their time available to help others. This is part of the 15 projects of generative welfare of Turin Social Factory program of the City of Turin, co-funded by the National Operational Program Metropolitan City and the European Union, The European Union has highlighted this project as a good practice of social innovation whose characteristics should be transferred to other cities.
Further information
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.