CSR and Social Innovation Convention 2014

Europe for the development of social responsibility in the Stations: “The European Charter of Solidarity”

The CSR and Social Innovation Convention, held at the Bocconi University in Milan on the 7^th and 8^th of October 2014 is the most important event at national level dedicated to the evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility towards more sustainable scenarios.

Among the main actors of the Convention, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane has re-launched its engagement in Social Responsibility in a dedicated seminar by presenting the many National and European projects achieved and, in particular, the European network Gare Européenne et Solidarité. This network gathers 12 European railway companies, institutions, public administrations and associations, aiming at sharing the best practices activated to face poverty and social exclusion in the train stations.

The network Gare Européenne et Solidarité agrees to the principles of The European Charter for the development of social initiatives in train stations, promoted in 2008 by Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, SNCF, SNCB and CFL. The Charter combines public safety policies with solidarity actions, with the intention of creating an integrated social policy to give tangible answers and identify appropriate measures to tackle homelessness and to make stations safer and more comfortable, and thus contributing to the safety of the city.

The main objectives of the European Charter are: planning social actions in urban and railway areas by involving at the same time public institutions, association networks, charitable organizations, civil society and public security forces; offering awareness-raising and training courses for train station personnel on how to deal with persons facing extreme social exclusion; developing instruments to manage and monitor the “vagrancy” phenomenon in train stations; carry out transnational projects aimed at social innovation etc.The European Charter has gained great attention from the EU Institutions, and several projects involving the signatory members have been funded since 2010: Hope in Stations, Work in Stations and the latest Train in Stations, which have given a key contribution to search for innovative solutions and to enable active inclusion of disadvantaged people attending the European train stations.

Featured speakers the representatives of the European network:

Fabrizio Torella Responsible for Attività Sociali d’Impresa of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane and co-president of the Charter;
Gilles Grimoult on behalf of the co-president of the Charter;
Vincent Bouznad Responsible for Direction du Développement Durable of SNCF;
Doris Horvarth for CFL;
Mégan Zangerle for SNCB;
Elzbieta Solsnowska for PKP;
Nikola Mishev for NRIC;
Alessandro Radicchi Director of ONDS – Osservatorio Nazionale sul Disagio e la Solidarietà nelle Stazioni Italiane;
Sylvie Le Bars Promoter of projects for active inclusion for Agence nouvelle des solidarités actives;
Antonio Tencati Lecturer of Bocconi University.