We have always believed that doing business also means generating social value for our local area.
This commitment has led us to support the association I Bambini delle Fate in its Banca del Tempo Sociale project in the Pordenone area.
The initiative brings together schools, businesses, and the third sector to involve young people with autism and disabilities and their peers in high school in shared activities of social education and friendship. The result is proof that it is possible to build a more cohesive and participatory future and that time given to others is always a valuable investment.
What is the Social Time Bank?
The Banca del Tempo Sociale is an initiative conceived by I Bambini delle Fate, an organization that needs no introduction, founded in Castelfranco Veneto in 2005 by Franco Antonello, Andrea’s father, to support projects for the inclusion of children and young people with autism and other disabilities. The project is based on a simple and powerful idea: to create meaningful relationships between young students and their peers with autism, Asperger’s syndrome, or other cognitive and physical disabilities, by offering time, presence, and a listening ear.
In the Pordenone area, the project is run in collaboration with Cooperativa Itaca and involves carefully selected and trained students from the Liceo Leopardi-Majorana high school. These young people, aged between 16 and 18, choose to devote part of their free time to activities with young people with disabilities, accompanying them in shared experiences, outings, socializing, and relational support.
An educational opportunity for everyone
The strength of the project lies in its organized and replicable structure, capable of bringing concrete benefits to all parties involved. Children with disabilities thus have access to meaningful relationships, opportunities for friendship, and greater social inclusion. Students enjoy an enriching educational experience that promotes empathy, listening, and openness to diversity.
The project is recognized by educational institutions and rewards the most active participants with educational credits, vouchers for the purchase of books, and scholarships. It is a way to reward commitment and strengthen the bond between school and society.
Each participant is monitored over time: the partner associations assign a monthly score that documents the quality of the program, promoting constructive and transparent comparison.
Azzurra for the community: inclusion first and foremost
Azzurra has chosen to support the Banca del Tempo Sociale in Pordenone because of its strong connection with the company’s values: inclusion, responsibility, and attention to the individual. The project is a concrete expression of a vision that sees the company not only as a place of production, but as an active agent of social change.
Supporting I Bambini delle Fate also means contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030, particularly in areas such as quality education, reducing inequalities, and building inclusive and resilient communities.
A commitment that looks to the future
By supporting Banca del Tempo Sociale, Azzurra renews its desire to be an integral part of an economy capable of generating shared value. When inclusion is concrete and experienced on a daily basis, it becomes a tool for social regeneration. And when time is donated, its meaning is multiplied.
We are proud to support those who create authentic human connections. Because this is also how the future is built: starting from the local area, from relationships, from shared time.
On the cover: Franco and Andrea Antonello – Ph. Credits: I Bambini delle Fate
