Letter to 2020
We knew you would be unique, we didn’t know how
You were supposed to be such a great one. This year we turn 20 and were planning a big party to celebrate all what we lived together, also what is about to come. Little we knew that you had other plans, none of them compatible with celebrations, parties, meetings or hugs.
Nevertheless, what is sure is that you are such a special year. You brought new realities that we could not imagine before. Also, a complex social and economic tissue necessary to understand now more than ever. Twenty years ago, when Salvador Mas de Xaxás founded Fundación Exit, the project was designed to build bridges between the social and entrepreneurial worlds so people with totally different lives could meet and bring learning to each other. With this vision as a drive, Exit started to gestate as what it is today: an entity deeply involved with young people in a situation of social vulnerability and both with the entrepreneurial and the socio-educational sectors.
This became our mantra and we went through some inital expansión phases from which the Project Coach was born in 2007 and the eDuo Project in 2009. These two projects came together with great recognition. First, with the appointmeny by the UN as one of the 85 most reliable NGOs. Also in 2010 we recieved the Impulsa Award by “Fundación Princesa de Girona” and the Mercé Conesa award to the best solidary iniciative from the “Premis El Català de l’any” conducted by El Periódico. With time, Exit became a more and more consolidated organization, and we started to operate in more territories investing in the technology needed so projects’ growth would not be conditioned to the organic expansión of the organization. In 2013, the Yob Project was born and we signed with Desigual the first Dual Agreement in Catalunya in which a social organization participated . Some time afterwards, in 2017, we signed a similar agreement with Fundación Mahou San Miguel and the Community of Madrid Madrid. During this time we were renown bythe Five Award 2012 and the 2014 Expansion Award in Innovation+ Sustainability+ Network for the Project with Fundación Mutua Madrileña and Asestra.
In 2016, we launched the PASSWORK Project in collaboration with Fundación Adsis. This bet for the sinergies and the implication of different actors forged our identity: Exit means bridges and collective efforts that bet for our values. Since then and by fostering networking with other entities and programs such as Incorpora-La Caixa, we made a bet to build bridges that could create shared spaces. In addition, these last years we have especially focused our work on impulsing sinergies with emerging sectors, the specialization in others such as hosterly and commerce and on giving a voice to young people in a situation of social vulnerability by creating Exit Team Up Project (2018). In 2019 we recieved the international CEMEX-TEC award in the category of Collaborative Action
This year we could only think about meeting those people for whom our work makes sense. To bring back the stories like Alejandra, Samir, Barry o Ángela’s. It is for them, to create opportunities that can help them to fulfill their dreams why everything started 20 years ago. Now, after 7.300 days, 8.400 youngsters, 750 collaborating companies, 300 social and educational entities and 4.500 volunteers that have walked together with us along this journey, we can say we have achived our goal of achieveing opportunities, dreams, compromises and challenges. But it is not enough, and especially in this moment of society when young people need more than ever more than ever motivation, orientation and guide. In a context like the one we are living today, transversally impacted by the digital and the socio-economical changes, we seek to knit alliances with people, entities and conscious companies in order to open new opportunities for young people in a situation of social vulnerability. Because to connect and to work together is crucial for the future of us all.
Dear 2020, you were supposed to be a year to remember, and sure you will be! You brought a huge change to our lives, an uncertain situation that has been hard for everyone. Also for Exit, but you led us to take an exciting and challenging shift in our projects and find, once again, ways to reinvent ourselves, think big and bet for the future. No matter how that looks like.
Pd: 2020, it would be nice for the year coming to find the way to share this birthday with all the people that are part of this dream along the journey. We miss seeing each other and we really want to celebrate what has passed and the adventures about to come. We hope for it to happen soon!
