Café Joyeux

Direct

• Promoting social and economic inclusion and reducing inequalities: the VilacomVida Association and Café Joyeux seek to provide employment and training opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental difficulties who, due to the conventional working environment, find it very difficult to enter the job market and become autonomous.

Through theoretical and practical vocational training in the catering sector adapted to participants with disabilities, the VilacomVida Association and Café Joyeux provide training and a Professional Qualification Certificate as a multipurpose catering agent recognized by the professional sector.

Since 2020, 116 people have been supported in VilacomVida's different programs. 45 people with IDD have been accompanied on their career path by the association, 35 people have obtained professional training, and another 11 people have taken part in other "On-the-job" and "Cooking with Soul" programs.

• Creating fair work opportunities for all: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who work at Joyeux have a paid employment contract, and also benefit from a free training program for families, which trains multi-skilled employees in the catering sector: kitchen, barista, table service and cashier. After the 2-year training, to obtain their diploma as multi-skilled employees in the catering sector, the employee is offered an open-ended contract.

Since 2021, 20 people with DID have been hired at partner companies such as SONAE, FUJITSU, Banco CTT, Colégio o Nosso Jardim, Craveiral, Cozinha com Alma and Mercearia André. At Café Joyeux, 11 people are currently employed and 15 are in the process of being hired.

• Equal and universal access to quality education: Education and training models in general are planned without taking young people with IDD into account, which leads to very significant dropout rates. This is directly linked to a subsequent lack of employment and inactivity, which increases the risk of poverty and social exclusion. With the training, people with IDD have access to a methodology aimed at inclusion developed by the VilacomVida Association. The methodology, called the Intervention Model for Autonomous Living (MIVA), seeks to train people to work in a profession, to help them sign an employment contract and to accompany them in the first years of their careers.

Indirect

• Increase in the quality of life of people participating in the programs: in June 2021, the impact of the Vila com Vida programs was measured with 41 young people to obtain the biopsychosocial index after participating in the intervention. The results obtained showed a positive change in this indicator in 34 people, demonstrating that they had significantly improved their quality of life.
• Partnerships for development: for the work of the VilacomVida Association to have an impact on more and more Portuguese families, VilacomVida is committed to networking. On-the-job projects, in Cozinha com Alma, the Follow-up program in inclusive recruitment processes - some companies are followed up with the help of other IPSS, such as Cercica, Valor T, Pais em Rede, Fundação Liga, Crinabel, Quinta Essência, Cadin, among others - so that more people have the opportunity to have a decent job and an independent life.

El promotor de la campaña es Associação VilacomVida, una IPSS (Institución Particular de Solidaridad Social), sin fines de lucro, fundada en 2016 por un grupo de padres de niños y jóvenes con discapacidad intelectual, como la Trisomía 21, Trastornos del Espectro Autista, entre otros. 

La Asociación VilacomVida demuestra que las personas con discapacidad intelectual, siempre que tengan condiciones y oportunidades, son capaces de desarrollar talentos y competencias que les permiten estar incluidos en la sociedad, tener un empleo, una vida feliz y autónoma. . 

El Café Joyeux en Portugal, es una empresa con sede en Lisboa, propiedad en su totalidad de la Asociación VilacomVida, cuya misión es acercar a la sociedad a la diferencia para que esta deje de serlo. Para lograrlo, apuesta por descubrir los talentos de las personas con discapacidad intelectual utilizando un modelo innovador, sostenible e inclusivo de formación que promueve la empleabilidad para las futuras generaciones autónomas y una sociedad plural. 

Los cafés-restaurantes Joyeux y la apertura de nuevos negocios sociales son la principal herramienta de acción para implementar su misión en dirección a la sostenibilidad.

La historia de Café Joyeux en Portugal comenzó cuando la presidenta de VilacomVida, Filipa Pinto Coelho, quedó embarazada de Manuel, un niño con Trisomía 21, que ahora tiene 7 años. Fue el miedo que sintió durante su embarazo lo que la llevó a desarrollar una estrategia de divulgación y comunicación positiva de las habilidades y talentos de las personas con discapacidad intelectual, para que otros pudieran descubrir, y no rechazar, por miedo o prejuicio, la oportunidad de conocer o emplear a alguien en este espectro.

El proyecto se creó para colocar la diferencia intelectual en el centro de la comunidad, aumentando así las oportunidades de integración social y profesional saludable. La Asociación tiene como objetivo cambiar la forma en que las personas perciben la (d)eficiencia y cambiar el concepto de rendimiento económico. En su trabajo, Café Joyeux Portugal cuenta con varios socios importantes como Café Joyeux Francia, Ageas Seguros Portugal, el Ayuntamiento de Cascais, Brisa, Banco Santander, BNP Paribas, MEO y Cofidis Portugal.

Han sido reconocidos con diversos premios y distinciones: Partnerships for Impact (2020); Premio BPI La Caixa (2020), Premio de Valor Social CEPSA (2021), Fondo Plus + (Casa do Impacto, SCML, 2023); Fondo de Pacto Deloitte (2020), Premio Vinci por la Ciudadanía (2021), Premio Fundación Auchan (2022).