- European Meetings
11.02.2010
Events and Meetings – European Meetings
The Meeting of European Railway Companies involved in the social field, held in Rome
February 11, 2010
On February 10 and 11 last, the European Railway Companies that had signed the European Charter for the Development of Social Initiatives in Stations, were hosted by the Italian Railway Company in order to further discuss common issues related to the underprivileged present in the main European train stations. Representatives from the railway companies of the Charter’s initial signatory States were present, namely France, Belgium and Luxembourg. But especially significant was the presence of the Polish Railway Company, which signed the Charter last November in Brussels, as well as that of the Spanish Railway Company, participating in this meeting for the first time ever.
The meeting was divided into two working days and on the first day foundations were laid for joint initiatives in the train stations of the main European capitals. This received backing from the European Commission - 2010 is in fact the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. An initial idea was that of organising a travelling photo exhibition based on the theme of persons of no fixed abode, displayed within the stations of European capitals, with the aim of heightening public awareness on the issue of homelessness.
Another important theme that was touched upon concerned the specific training that railway personnel could receive. These personnel, depending on their particular type of activity, are in contact with people in difficulty on a daily basis. To this end, the training experience illustrated by the French Railway Company and the means of intervention used by the Spanish Railway Company were extremely useful.
Finally, all the networks participating in the meeting agreed on the need to pursue the policy of group extension to other railway networks involved in the social field. For this purpose, contact with the Swiss, Dutch and some Eastern European Railways is currently underway. The European Charter for the Development of Social Initiatives in Stations will be presented to these countries at the next meeting in Warsaw planned for next June.
The morning of 10 February ended with the official presentation of the European Project “HOPE in Stations,” given by Morgan Poulizac from the Paris-based “Agence Nouvelle des Solidarités Actives.” This project is supported by FS, the Italian State Railway Company. The European Commission recently declared this to be the best European social project within the framework of the EU’s PROGRESS programme.
The last speaker, Catherine Marcadier, Social Affairs Adviser at the French Embassy in Rome, illustrated the social situation in France and social policies implemented by the French government.
On the following day, an “on-site” visit was organised to the centres situated inside Roma Termini station, on the Via Marsala side. Today, this area is a veritable “social intervention hub” for the marginalised, comprised of the Help Center, the Binario 95 day-care centre and the Caritas polyclinic, shelter and canteen. The importance of these centres lies in the reciprocal integration of the specific activities, i.e. the Help Center makes the first contact with persons in difficulty, the polyclinic can offer them completely free specialised medical care and the hostel provides them with decent clothing, a place to have a wash, a hot meal and the possibility of spending the night indoors. The following morning, the Binario 95 day-care centre intervenes with specialised personnel to help those in difficulty to initiate personalised rehabilitation, beginning with concrete activities such as a writing workshop - giving rise to the magazine ‘Shaker’ - or the graphic workshop whose works were printed in a calendar last year and exhibited to the public.
The meeting of the European Railways ended at the Binario 95 day-care centre, where a new project to renovate the Caritas shelter was presented. This will be carried out with the support of FS as part of the Italian project “Un Cuore in Stazione” (A Heart in the Station).
The working day ended with the signature of a collaborative project between FS and IKEA for the development of joint social initiatives in stations. A concrete example of corporate social responsibility.
