Fondazione Laboratorio per le Politiche Sociali – LABOS

Fondazione Laboratorio per le Politiche Sociali – LABOS is specialized in social policies, with particular attention

to the education of adults and young people, and social inclusion.

The Foundation received its legal status by Decree of the President of the Italian Republic on September 2, 1988 and since then has been working nationally and internationally.

Over the years the Foundation has defined its own “vocation”, summarized in three general objectives, which are at the base of its mission:
– contribute to a society that focuses on human beings and relationships between people;
– to support the community as a human group that cooperates in the common good;
– contribute to the creation of a new welfare, operating both at the level of active citizenship and at the level of institutions.
In order to pursue these objectives, the Foundation operates through:
– adult education and training activities;
– activity of Research-action;
– support and capacity building activities for non-profit organizations and public institutions.

LABOS believe that the education of adults and young people is the fundamental key for the change of the individual and of society. Starting from the fact that the person’s education takes place within formal and non-formal and informal contexts, the Foundation have worked for an educational intervention capable of including these different levels, and in particular:
– attention to active educational methodologies, as a transversal element to the three areas, and also as an element capable of creating bridges between these three worlds;
– support for educational agencies, both as training for school staff and as training for animators and managers of civil society organizations;
– educational actions in the field, directed to adults and young people, also developed with an attention to the synergy between these three educational areas, with a view to creating “educating communities”.
Research-Action is a further operational element of the Foundation; LABOS believe that updating on the changes in reality, as well as updating the patrimony of knowledge and tools, is a necessity and an unavoidable duty for those who work for social change and common well-being.

Over the years, LABOS have tried to develop research that is not only addressed to “insiders”, but that were able to contribute to concrete changes, to the creation of good real practices.
A further and no less important element that has arisen from research activities, is also that of verifying – in the light of social changes – the adequacy of the same vision of Labos, and of being able to periodically enrich it, modify it, specify it.
Finally, one last important area of ​​LABOS field work concerns support for civil society organizations and public institutions. This is an area often overlooked, because it is not taken into account that organizations are complex systems, which need to learn, change, update themselves. In this context Labos action includes:
– training of the management and staff of these organizations;
– support in the drafting and implementation of financed activities;
– impact assessment