What would be your company's Elevator Pitch?

Fundació Joia is an organisation based in Barcelona that has been offering Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Services for almost 40 years. We promote the social and labour inclusion of people with mental health problems through services adapted to their needs, as well as prevention, always generating a network of associations to bring the maximum benefit to people and the community.

Our headquarters HQ is located in 22@ and in this area we are working especially to promote inclusion and prevention in Mental Health, such as in the Eix Pere IV and other neighbourhoods in the district of Sant Martí.

Apunts is our social economy company with 30 years of experience in promoting the inclusion in the world of work of people with disabilities in Mental Health.

At Apunts we offer services in graphic arts, such as design, printing in various formats, post-printing and handling services, e-commerce management and also sustainable messaging with our walking staff, who deliver on foot in 3 postcodes in Barcelona. We also have our own product line that we create with an inclusive and sustainable approach led by a multidisciplinary creative team.

What is the key success factor in your company?

A key factor is our level of co-responsibility we have with society and its mental health and emotional wellbeing through prevention. We are constantly observing, analysing needs and social changes in order to improve and update our services and knowledge with innovation and towards excellence.

It is very important to listen to society, to the community and to rigorously detect their needs, especially in our field as experts in mental health.

What project are you currently working on?

Fundació Joia on the one hand continues with its mission in terms of knowledge in Mental Health, innovating to make it more accessible to the population, companies and all groups that require it. There is a very important part that is part of our objective and that is to be able to work transversally with society when it comes to prevention, especially in young people, where quotas are increasing considerably in recent years, according to data from the Joia Foundation and the WHO (World Health Organization).

For example, among other lines of action and projects, Fundació Joia will lead the Ocell de Foc Sant Martí Programme in our 22@ district in the coming years. A programme to promote the Emotional Well-being of young people, together with nine entities of the Sant Martí district of Barcelona and to reach more young people between 16 and 30 years old who want to explore and improve their mental health, generate synergies, meetings, and spaces where they can express themselves while they draw their professional future. A programme with the support of the Directorate General of Social and Solidarity Economy, the Third Sector and Cooperatives of the Department of Enterprise and Labour of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

As for Apunts, we are working to improve the skills of our staff with disabilities, given that the main mission of Apunts as a CET (Special Employment Centre) is to promote the integration of our staff into the ordinary workplace. We are currently developing a Polyvalence Plan so that our team can acquire skills in other lines of business apart from the one in which they usually work, so that they can feel comfortable carrying out other tasks.

In addition, we continue to work on creating new products that incorporate our values of inclusion and respect for the environment, as a letter of introduction to both individuals and companies, so that we can continue to extend and spread our mission in Mental Health.

What are you learning now?

From the team of experts at Fundació Joia we are detecting a considerable increase in psychological discomfort and Mental Health problems in society, especially in young people. That is why now more than ever, we are deploying all the mechanisms to be able to bring our knowledge, projects, and services to both users and companies in order to provide tools for Good Emotion Management, as well as the importance of Prevention in Mental Health.

As for Apunts, following the line mentioned in the increase of the impact of Mental Health in recent years, being able to grow services with a sustainable and social economy from research into new materials, more creative and innovative, and that continues to have a positive impact as new jobs for people with disabilities in Mental Health, is a very important milestone that we must achieve with the support of companies and organizations in our environment and community.

Why did you decide to join 22@NETWORK BCN?

From Fundació Joia and Apunts we believe that it is very important to generate connections with partner companies and organizations and thus be able to continue activating synergies and supporting the community.

That our expertise in Mental Health can also reach all the organizations that are part of the cluster, and that the mission of Fundació Joia i Apunts has a positive impact on the Mental Health of our 22@NETWORLK BCN community. You can count on us for a good Emotional Management and a stronger and future Mental Health, accompanied by a social and sustainable economy with Apunts.

How do you think being part of the 22@Network  BCN association helps your company?

It gives us the possibility to reach the whole district and make our work known. We will be able to be project connectors and spread the importance of caring for the mental health of the community, of the people and organisations that form part of it.

What do you bring to the 22@ ecosystem?

With this strategic location we want to contribute to stop the industrial relocation of Barcelona through the promotion of social economy, positive environmental impact, and social diversity, focusing the dynamization of the activity in the Eix Besòs and 22@ of Barcelona.

Also, to contribute positively in this community and in the promotion of the importance of mental health, as well as to generate accessible jobs for the mental health collective.

What attracts you to this ecosystem?

It is an ecosystem that is growing very fast, but at the same time tries to be careful, where it keeps in mind the importance of building on the basis of sustainability, on the well-being of the population and its (mental) health; with a cross-cutting, diverse and inclusive approach. A philosophy that is very characteristic of Fundació Joia i Apunts.

Who do you know that you think the whole 22@  community should know?

Barcelona Music Lab. It's an organisation that is a music and technology laboratory that organisations can join, focusing on the impact of music on the community. A very interesting project to consider because of the positive impact it can have on Mental Health, especially on young people.

How would you define innovation in the 22@  district?

Innovation is in fact the DNA of the 22@ district; it is the basis on which a community project grows.

How would you define sustainability in the 22@  district?

It is an innovative and intelligent sustainability; one that moves forward quickly and always considering the social impact and identity of the district.

How do you see your company in 5 years?

Fundació Joia i Apunts is immersed in a strategic plan that will accompany over the next few years the social changes and the transformation that society and its mental health are undergoing, especially among young people.

As stated by the WHO (World Health Organization) and its Universal Mental Health Plan: "The world is  accepting the concept of universal health coverage (...) Nobody should be denied  access to mental health care because she or he is poor or lives in a remote  place" Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World  Health Organization.

We will continue to work to empower the community of Barcelona, individuals and families, and especially young people, guaranteeing accompaniment for their fundamental rights in Mental Health and their emotional wellbeing, accompanied by prevention and with the knowledge we have. This is our path for the coming years.