Casa della Gioia exists to give guests with disabilities a holiday as full as possible of joy, lightness and genuine fun, a well-earned period of rest from a year of effort, whatever form that effort has taken. Every part of how the house runs is built around what guests actually need.
Running a holiday home for 180 people takes real, everyday work: serving meals, organising afternoon activities, preparing the beach and countless other tasks. Much of that work falls to volunteers, including school students completing PCTO, Italy's mandatory work-experience programme for secondary school students, but their participation only happens if it is properly supported.
The project
The project supports PCTO students in volunteering at Casa della Gioia, caring directly for guests with disabilities and taking on the practical tasks that keep a large holiday home running smoothly. For guests, it means an affordable holiday spent in genuine company; for students, it means a demanding, hands-on experience that builds real skills in a social and organisational setting well beyond the classroom.
The aim is to look past the visible impact of illness or disability and recognise the person underneath it, and to help students discover that recognition for themselves. Volunteers accompany PCTO students throughout, making sure the experience is genuinely meaningful, supporting their personal growth and, for some, informing the professional or academic path they go on to choose.
Who the project is for
The project's direct beneficiaries are over 400 people with disabilities who stay at Casa della Gioia each year, accompanied by an equal number of volunteers, along with at least 30 PCTO students annually.
Its impact reaches further, to the families of guests with disabilities, who get two weeks of well-earned rest knowing their loved ones are enjoying a holiday of their own.
Project name: Percorsi per le Competenze Trasversali e per l'Orientamento (PCTO) come volontari nelle vacanze con disabili!
Proposing organisation: Fondazione Borghetto ETS
Area of intervention: Inclusion & Social Development
Country: Italy