PeperonAut, a project for social inclusion with Intesa Sanpaolo's Charity Fund

I'm Giuseppe Tataranno, president of the PeperonAut project developed by the Anffas Policoro association.
We established this initiative to create inclusion and offer concrete opportunities to people with intellectual and relational disabilities, while also supporting their families along the path of growth.

With the aid of the Intesa Sanpaolo Charity Fund, we have launched PeperonAut, a project dedicated to young people on the autism spectrum.
We took an iconic symbol of the local area, the Peperone di Senise (PGI) bell pepper, to build a genuine training and job placement pathway.

Young people play a role in every phase: from the selection to the processing of the pepper, right up to the packaging of the product. Each activity is an opportunity to experiment, grow and feel part of a group.
A highly significant moment for us was the invitation to participate in the UNESCO event in Paris, together with the Minister of Disabilities. 
For us to actually be there, while the Italian Government nominated our national gastronomy for UNESCO recognition, represented a real recognition of our work.

The young people had the opportunity to speak with other international associations and to present the crispy Peperone Crusco, which aroused great curiosity and interest among the 120 UNESCO Ambassadors in attendance.

The message we wish to share is simple: when you have a clear vision and duly consider the impact on the territory, even an idea born from everyday life can give rise to concrete and lasting change.