Origin & philosophy

Our Origin

It was December 2010. Another morning was dawning and the country was plunging even further into a major financial crisis. And just like every other day, Laia was preparing to start the morning with her favourite radio show on in the background. Every morning the presenter asked the listeners a question so they could call in and share their experiences. And the question that day turned Laia’s life upside down. “What will you stop doing this Christmas because of the crisis?” asked the presenter. There were calls from numerous listeners who described how they had lost their jobs and so they wouldn't be able to celebrate Christmas that year. Other callers explained that they still had jobs but that they didn't know for how long they would have them for, and so they would also be foregoing the parties and gifts. The experiences that rang out from the radio offered a clear glimpse into people’s reality in our country at the time. Then, all of a sudden, a woman called in. Her circumstances were completely different. She explained that she was lucky because things were going well for her, that she and her partner were making a good living, and that if any of the people who had called in that morning didn't have plans for Christmas Eve, then they’d be welcome to come to their house. She even mentioned that if anyone had children, then there would be a gift waiting for each of them. This call lent some perspective to the previous snapshot.

“I realised that many people in my immediate surroundings (they listened to the same radio show as me, so I knew they were interested in culture, economics, politics and so on) were going through a really hard time. However, I also knew that others were lucky enough to be financially comfortable and wanted to get involved, but didn’t know how to go about it”, explains Laia. Thus, the first seed for what became the BarcelonActua Foundation was sown.

One year later, in December 2011, BarcelonActua Foundation was created with the aim of offering people like that generous caller an easy way to get involved in their communities. It was underpinned by the firm belief that every single one of us has the potential to be vulnerable, that we all lack something and we all have something to offer. The philosophy is based on a helping others through a horizontal approach, without seeking to be anyone’s saviour. BAC was founded with the clear purpose of creating a local community for people who could get involved in social action and, in doing so, benefit from a rewarding experience and connect with other lived experiences; a community in which we all have something to contribute.

Our Purpose

The problem to be solved

Growing social gaps that give rise to exclusion and discrimination and which are not being addressed by the government.
Ignorance and a lack of empathy towards socially excluded people and groups, especially as it pertains to migration.
The lack of initiatives that connect the needs of vulnerable individuals with people who want to contribute through rewarding experiences that have a positive impact.

Our vision
To create citizens who are more inclusive and more empathetic towards vulnerable people and towards difference and diversity in general.

Goal
To develop sustainable ecosystems with a transformative impact by care for vulnerable groups and mobilising civil society.

Philosophy

The central philosophy of BarcelonActua Foundation is to work every day to promote inclusive and non-discriminatory values that cut across all of its fields of action. One of its fundamental objectives is to raise awareness about the principles of equal opportunities and mutual respect by incorporating them into the organisation’s key values and disseminating them among its professionals, volunteers, the people it supports and accompanies, and society at large.

Within the Foundation, measures are taken to ensure that the organisation is free from discrimination based on race, sex, age or sexual orientation. The aim is to promote an inclusive culture and a diverse environment where respect, equality and positive recognition of differences are promoted.

The Foundation’s fundamental belief is that progress towards equal opportunities requires the active participation of society as a whole. For this reason, the citizen mobilisation is the organization's cornerstone. All its activities are based on the promotion of constant dialogue between the different cultural groups that coexist in society, with a focus on equality, and fostering spaces where everyone contributes and everyone benefits.

BarcelonActua and the SDGs

In addition to its itineraries, BarcelonActua Foundation has other global and commitments, such as contributing to the achievement of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is involved in the following specific SDGs:

ZERO HUNGER, GOOD HEALTH, AND WELL-BEING: We work towards these goals through all BAC programmes; In providing shelter through BACstation residential resources and BAChost Families, students are able to live, have meals, and take refuge, all while receiving training and psychological, emotional and legal support. Though our "initial reception programme" that meets the needs of vulnerable people, many of whom are living on the streets through hot meals, language classes, and vocational training.
QUALITY EDUCATION: The language and training itineraries, which cut across all programmes, allow us to achieve this objective in three ways: by providing educational reinforcement classes to children in vulnerable situations; by granting university scholarships to young people at risk of exclusion (U-BAC Scholarships) and to young migrants with higher educational qualifications in their countries of origin to help them receive accreditation for their training (Migrant Up); and by offering language classes and support in the training process to all the people we support and accompany through BAC programmes to enhance their links to the city and their future prospects.
GENDER EQUALITY AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES: We work to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities across all our programmes. Women who participate in the initial reception programme receive support and are provided with spaces for psychological and emotional care, family conciliation, and help to enhance their skills. At the same time, we promote volunteering in all areas of society (companies, people at risk of exclusion, schools, universities, etc.) to achieve a more tolerant and inclusive city.
DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH: Through the Training and Employability Itineraries, as well as the U-BAC and Migrant Up Scholarship programmes, we work to ensure that everyone we support and accompany can access the world of training. We also promote their access to high-skill jobs to strengthen the diversity of social and cultural profiles at companies and administrations in our city. At the same time, everyone receives support through the Employability Itinerary to achieve decent work and complete autonomy.