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last edited in 2007, many years ago

Francesco wrote: Sandy, here comes some first answers to your questions.. i did not share this answers with others so this is my point of view. I'll make a note where i think i'm writing things that maybe reflect too much my point of view.

Preface

(By the way... you know there is an english presentation in the web site right? it's old but still good)

We call the buenaventura: "Oficina di Buenaventura"... "officina", with double "f" is italian. "oficina" is, somehow, Latin. In italian it means "garage" (where you fix a car), in Latin i it means "laboratory"... "oficina di idee" (laboratory where you create ideas, projects, ecc...). The name with just one "f" comes also from the fact that Benetton corporation (whose headquarters are 20 km from Castelfranco Veneto) started a cultural centre (a bit of an "elite" site, but also not so connected with the territory) called "fabrica". "Fabbrica" is the real italian word industry, while "fabrica" is latin and could be intended as "culture industry". It was a way to tease them.

The name "Oficina di Buenaventura" was stated once we rented this building (1 august 1999), when the actual "Associazione Circolo Culturale Buenaventura" started, at the end of 1999. Buenaventura, for our law, is a "associazione di promozione sociale", not just a normal association. To be recognised as an "associazione di promozione sociale" you need some special contents in your "member's charter" (we call it "statuto"), that is: 1. You cannot distribute the association's money to members, 2. When you close the association you have to give the money to some other similar charity organisation, 3. all members have the same rights (there are no "senior", "1st class", "2nd class" members...e.g. everybody has the same right to become the president). If you are an "associazione di promozione sociale" you do not pay taxes (not all of them, but still some: we pay 1000 euro vat-taxes, here called IVA, each month) and you can apply for public money (we never asked for it... but there are no millions of Euros around anyway).

But, before the Buenaventura we have to talk about the association "Archè".

Before 1999 we had been talking (mostly between young people, average 2in 2007, many years) in Castelfranco Veneto for years about the clear need of a "social-cultural centre". You know we live in a very rich region, with a lot of money around. We actually thought there were no opportunities, apart from going to work, make a lot of money, spend even more on material things, get rid of the stress with the help of alcohol or exotic holidays in Club Mediterranès, ecc. ecc. (you know...)

In the in 2007, many years before 1999 we had all kind of political parties in charge of our (30.000 inh) town. A lot of promises, of course, but nothing... from both left to right wings. Once the left wing administration directly used young people in election time to get votes and hands and then did not do anything for the so called "centro socio-culturale" the group (that at that time had the name "giovani per Itaca" - "young people for Itaca") slowely died.

Indeed, this local group of young people called "giovani per Itaca" divided into two groups before election times. The leader of the group (part of a minor left-wing party) kept stating that the main target was to get the space, and then to get organised. A smaller group (who called themselves "the anarchistas") said it was important to first know how these future spaces where going to be organised, I mean... to face all together exactly the questions we are trying to answer here for you, Sandy. As I said the left wing party won, but together with the help of the local "christian democratic" party (with a socialist mayor, a lawyer who actually never worked in his life, not even that much while he was a mayor, that was once the president of our region in the Craxi era).

A leader of the minor group of what they called "the anarchistas" was Sergio, the actual former president of the Buenaventura. Sergio is now almost 50 years old, so he was not that young even at that time. He is a teacher (geometric design) in an art school, and vice-principal. He lived in Castelfranco in the 70's and had been involved in a lot of "social-experiments" in Castelfranco (a community, a cultural centre that is now just a pub, politics, town-hall representative, volunteer world, ecc.). Buenaventura has really benefited from his expertise concerning relations with people, and his knowledge about Castelfranco's history. Now he has a daughter (1 year old) and is not so present at the Buenaventura... He has directly signed all "dangerous" papers every time we asked him to do so. Sergio don't call himself an anarchist, but sure his background (ideals, worth...) comes from that world... (too bad that Sergio doesn't speak English.. now, together with another 10 Buena-volunteers he is attending the English course we organised prior to the TEH-meeting.)

I got to know Sergio 5 years before (once we were both involved in the local election with a civic group together with another member of the actual Buenaventura comittee, Laura), but at that time I was attending University and I was living in Padova (30 km away) almost all year long (I stayed there for almost 8 years). After graduation I then went to Mexico for 6 months to teach Italian; then I went back home in order to raise money to go to Guatemala with a NGO-project (so I worked full time as a waiter in a high mountain restaurant for 5 months in the Summer). With this money in my pocket I was almost about to leave when I started to spend (several) nights (once again) talking to Sergio. The main issue was the "centro socio-culturale", of course, he said that is was the right time to start the project. With enthusiasm I postponed my departure when he said that six months was enough to know if the project could really start. (well, it took almost a year and a half for the first brick).

What is your structure at present?

(Quale è la vostra struttura organizzativa attuale?)

The buenaventura is run by a non-profit association "Associazione di promozione sociale circolo culturale Buenaventura" (association for social promotion called Buenaventura cultural centre). The committe consists of 9 people and has 4000 members. The building is rented by "Associazione di volontariato Archè" (volountarism association called Archè). This association sign any contracts on our behalf, expecially debts. Arche pay rent, electricity and heating and let the Buenaventura use the building. Buenaventura gives back the money to arche for these expences.

The Arche's committe consists of 4 people (the 4 founders of the project) and has a 5 members (i mean the 4 of the committe and one more, Rocco, a psychologist). Sergio is the president in both associations. Luca Borsato and me have always been in both committees. Now only Luca and Sergio are in the committee of both associations (Since January I am no longer a member of the committy, when i decide to be a candidate to facilitate the entrance of new volunteers in the committe).

Why these 2 associations and not just one? Two reasons:

  1. If somebody comes here for a beer he has to be a member. He then asks the barman to become a member and 5 minutes later he is! (the membership card is not refused to any apart from known drug dealers, and people who have caused us big trouble, like fighting when being drunk). When we have a general assembly at Buenaventura usually no more than 40 people shows up. They all have the same right to become part of the committee (since for the Italian law if an association wants discounts on taxes it cannot treat people differently) we were scared that we could "lose" the Buenaventura due to a group of 20 people that could decide to show up in a general assembly and take over the whole project. Sergio has experienced two times such bad situations... last time it was 20 years ago, with a small bar/cultural center. He even lost a lot of his own money on it. So, we said, let's create 2 associations, one "closed" that owns everything, the other that runs the place. If somebody wants to take over they will not able to "steel".Two years after this choice we discovered that almost all cultural centers /big associations in Italy do the same, but normally the "closed" association is not an association, but a profit private company/cooperative, I mean the "closed" association can spend money with freedom, like a private company (can even share all income between members). In our case it's exactly the opposite, the "closed" association (archè) is legally a "volountarism association", it the 100%-non profit volunteers association for our law, I mean it's the type of association that has the maximun taxes discount but the less freedom to move money (for example me, as a member of the Arche association, I cannot receive one euro from arche, i cannot be amployed by arche).
  2. We had to sign debts to start the buenaventura project. We had a lot of people willig to be in the Buenaventura project, but nobody wanted to sign anything, nobody wanted to be responsible in case we would fail. The separation into two association was perfect to let people choose their role. The Archè association, the so called "closed" association was open until the creation of the buenaventura. E.g. we wanted to be at least 8/10 in the archè association... but nobody wanted to be in. The 4 who decided to be in Arche (whom i call "the founders of the buenaventura") had to give 2.500 euro each to arche each as a personal lown to arche. Then, arche, so all 4 of us, signed one more loan with a bank (13.000 euro). Plus we've asked friends/parents some more 7000 euro. Then the Buenaventura association was created by all people that wanted to do something, without the need to give money or to be responsible for loans, contracts, ecc. With a written paper Buenaventura had/has the right to manage in freedom (respecting some basic statements). So somebody could become the president of the buenaventura without having the responsability for all the debts.

With 5 years of distance I can tell you that the reason n.1 was a bit overvaluated. We had a lot of fear after Sergio's experiences. Nobody even thought of taking over the Buena I think... but, maybe nobody did it because they knew that there is the division with arche. For sure now nobody could take over the buenaventura without having to convince hundreds of people that they are doing something good. (and vice versa, if we, the four founders, as arche, decide ourselves to take over the Buena we will have a hard time with hundreds of people) Anyhow, the fact that all, expecially the 4 founders, knew that any energy, material, money putted in archè ware safe made us able to put all our energy into the project being sure that everything could not disappear in a minute. If we could go back we would probably use the same strategy, but the 2nd reason would be more in our mind than the 1st reason. At the beginning the 1st reason was what made us choose to create two associations.

If you ask me how archè is looked upon from the point of view of a member of the Buenaventura committe that is not in the arche I will tell you to wait until you are here and ask the people yourself. I could say that since arche is identified with sergio, luca and me (almost nobody knows mauro, the 4th arche member, since he's never here and always agree on what sergio, luca and i decide), where sergio has always been the president of both associations, me the treasurer of both associations til a month ago, luca, too, the last 3 years has been inside both the buenavenura comitte and the arche committe. Nobody asked to be part of archè til now (but they sure know that to be in is not automatic), but it's true we've also never asked anybody to get in.

Changing subject, you have to know that the bar is run buy the bar-group: the group of all bartenders. Since the beginning there was the idea of a self-managed bar group. This has experienced ups and downs... now, for the last 2 years, it is good, the last 10 months even great. They do not want a leader, somebody responsible... the idea is that everybody has to be responsible, but there is a coordinator for each little sector.

How do you make decisions?

(Come prendete le decisioni?)

In the Archè decision are taken if all agree. We don't/cannot vote. It's written in the arche member's charter. In the buenaventura we try to all agree as much as possible. We do not like to vote.

Who makes decisions?

(Chi prende le decisioni?)

Who takes decision? the committe. For big changes/statemants we organize a general assembly. Out of 4000 members on paper, no more than 40 people show up.

If the question was Who has to do what has been decided? the answer is: most of the time the committe's member.

Are there different levels in the centre (you talk of volunteers but are there paid people as well?)

(Ci sono livelli diversi nel centro? mi parlate di volontari, ma ci anche sono persone pagate?)

People paied (all not formally):

A special case is people living in the buenaventura (we've an apartment on the last floor, I'm living there too, and since the first day we've rented the Buenaventura). These are the so called "inquilini" (tenants). These people are normally refered to as volunteers, too, but they do not pay rent and expenses... so, they are actually paid indirectly. The agreement is: people living in the so called "appartamento" (apartment) has to work for the buena at least an average of 3 hours per day, plus they are supposed to do their volunteer work like all the others. We can say that an inquilino save some 400/500 euro a month living here (that means: rent, electricity, winter heating, water, garbage, internet, furniture, and a lot of food that he/she gets in the buenaventura for free).

Then there are the EVS volunteers (till now 1 at a time; 2 at a time beginning with next march). They receive 300 euro a month from EU and, since they live in the buenaventura, do not pay lodgging expenses like tenants. There is also one national civil service volunteer (1): she receives 400 euros/months and has to work 25/hours a week (does not live in the buenaventura).

so... summarizing (and coming back to your questions)

finally

What is your organisation's vision for the future and what problems do you see as stopping your progress towards this vision at the moment?

(See also the outline of programme teh meeting 59 at buenaventura annette and I have written for the meeting in Berlin).

Vision? is asking too much. Sure we should move from this building in two years. The owner will ask a lot of more money for the rent of the actual building. What will we do then? Rent a private place? buy it? have a public space with an agreement with the town hall?

There is an idea of starting a cooperative company, apart from the buenaventura, where volunteers that have learned a job in the buenaventura can do what they have learned here but bee paid. We all agreed in the last general assembly to not have formal workers in the buenaventura.

Some will like to start a community... i mean: to rent/buy a big house and go to live 10/20 all together

Some will want to start a new buenaventura in a different town (venice, padova, by the see, south Italy...)