The Fondazione

The Fondazione «Emanuela Zancan» onlus is a centre for research, study and experimentation that has been operating for more than 40 years in the field of social, health and education policies, welfare systems and human services.

Its activities are conducted with the contribution of many researchers and experts from Italy and abroad.

The Fondazione works in collaboration with public bodies, like regions, provinces, public health agencies, municipalities, universities, Italian and international study centres, and with private bodies in order to carry out studies, research and experimentation.

The Fondazione’s study and research activities are characterised as following:

• they are done in relation to the territory and to human services;
• they keep a pluralistic approach to the problems, that has lead to rigorous analysis based on scientific criteria, with attention to ethical implications of the proposed solutions;
• they deal with wide range of theoretical and methodological contributions;
• they investigate emerging problems in society;
• they are committed in designing new solutions in human solidarity that are based on rights and duties.

The basic values of our work are:

• the promotion of change in society, identifying the «terminal gems» of social development, which have major potential of growth but also, and maybe for this reason, express the points of major fragility in society;
• the promotion and protection of the person;
• as an ethical pre-condition we want to combine cultures and values, in order to run services and activities which are respectful of personal, family and social needs;
• we seek theoretical, methodological and social policy orientations which can help spreading solidarity, participation and humanization of services.

The Fondazione conducts its activities with the contribution of many researchers and experts from Italy and abroad. It works in collaboration with public bodies, like regions, provinces, public health agencies, municipalities, universities, Italian and international study centres, and with private bodies in order to carry out studies, research and experimentation.

Giuseppe Benvegnù Pasini is the President of the Fondazione and Giovanni Nervo is the honorary president.

Our internal staff: Tiziano Vecchiato (director), Ingrid Berto, Maria Bezze, Cinzia Canali, Cristina Gittoi, Mattea Paganin, Alida Ravazzolo, Lucia Vojtas, Emanuela Zignol. The many external collaborators are responsible for the coordination and implementation of study activities, research and cultural initiatives.

A few numbers of the Fondazione:

• 540 seminars organized since 1964 on new issues regarding the evolution of welfare systems.
• 11.668 people participating in those seminars.
• 213 research projects produced in the last 10 years in collaboration with public bodies, universities and research institutes, and other subjects.
• 2.666 people who, since 1989, have taken part in our projects.
• 707 our collaborators, who work on different fields sharing an approach that combines theory and practice.
• 168 the issues of the reviews that present the results of our experimentation activities and our cultural initiatives (Servizi sociali, Politiche sociali, Studi Zancan).
• 144 the books published, in 5 thematic series, since 1969.
• 51 our "Cultural Tuesdays", special events thought as space for public debate among social workers, professionals, managers, students and volunteers.
• 1.521 those who since today have taken part in the "Cultural Tuesdays".
• 15 the years since the opening of our Documentation Centre on social policies to the public.
• 230 the thematic entries used to archive our volumes, magazines and articles.
• 15.894 the records open to reference at our Documentation Centre.

The headquarters of the Fondazione Zancan are in Padova - via Vescovado 66, tel. 049 663800; fax 049 663013; e-mail fz@fondazionezancan.it.

Part of our activities are run at the Summer Study Centre in Malosco (TN),Val di Non, Trentino Region (tel. 0463 831342; fax 0463 830408).