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Intrecci is a social cooperative that deals with welfare services

But what is actually a social cooperative? It’s a private organization which provides social services. It’s an enterprise – that therefore works on the market – but it’s a non-profit one, whose aim isn’t making money.

Its mission is defined by a particular law: ”To pursue the general interests of the community towards human advancement and social integration of citizens”.
The “ownership” of a social cooperative can’t be concentrated into the hands of a few people; and in fact there are 83 partners, mostly people who work in the cooperative, but also volunteers who donate their time working for free.

Intrecci was born in 2003, among the activities of the Caritas Ambrosiana Foundation, and it’s the result of a collaboration between different situations belonging to the Church, voluntarism and the welfare world, that were already working in the territory of Rho.

“Intrecci” means “interlacement” and it has this name because it has been thought as the interlacement of different experiences: voluntarism of the Caritas foundations of the local churches that dealt with isolation, the house “Caleidoscopio” that welcomes foreigners, experiences of support to fragile families, and the work of parents and volunteers to preserve disabled people welfare.

In the following years “Intrecci” has progressively grown rootes into the North-West suburbs of Milan.

In 2011 another important step took place: the social cooperative “le Querce di Mamre” and ”Intrecci” decided to join their activities, that in this way have now spread into the territory of Varese. “Le Querce di Mamre” has enriched the common heritage with its long experience in welcoming people asking political asylum.

The name of the cooperative represents its vocation and its task:

  • It interlaces the energies of educators and workers who find in the cooperative a place where they can express their passion for welfare and where they can work to make society a better place.
  • It interlaces the problems and the needs of the most fragile people with concrete answers, projects and services that can also last till they are needed.
  • It interlaces the social work with the positive resources that are in our territory, in order to promote welcoming and solidarity.

Literature scholars are able to distinguish between “story” and “plot”. The “story” is the chronological order of the events; the “plot” is the way the events are told by the narrator. They hardly ever coincide since the author scatters the cards on the table and builds a new story.

This may also happen in the lives of the people: even in the hardest fabula there may be the chance to scatter the cards and begin a new life, create another story.

“Intreccio” in Italian means also “plot” and “Intrecci” often provides that chance to change a life.

It’s written in its name, after all.