22 December, 2023On 19 December, IZAR took part in the closing event of the San Sebastian capital of the social economy in Europe. The final touch was provided by the EKOS Creative Festival, organised by El Diario Vasco; promoted, among others, by the Basque Government and San Sebastian City Council; and sponsored, in addition to IZAR, by leading entities such as Eroski, ONCE, Gureak and Laboral Kutxa.
The event took place in the Kursaal Palace, in a hall packed with half a thousand young people, where there was space for music, humour and shows. The event served, fundamentally, to award the best works in a graphic and audiovisual competition in which the participants presented projects on different themes that represent key values of the social economy: inclusion, sustainability, equality, social entrepreneurship, social essence and local development.
In addition to the organisers and sponsoring companies such as IZAR, it is worth highlighting the presence of authorities such as Amparo Merino, Secretary of State for the Social Economy, Idoia Mendia, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Employment of the Basque Government, and Eneko Goia, Mayor of San Sebastian, who agreed on the importance of making the social economy visible and putting the economy at the service of people, contributing to social cohesion.
A competition that rewards committed students and young peopleOver the past few months, participants (divided between students and the general public) submitted their work, which was evaluated and sifted by a technical jury, which selected the finalists. Among those chosen, votes via the website decided the winners of the EKOS Popular category; sponsoring companies such as IZAR selected the winners in the EKOS Outstanding category; and a professional jury proclaimed the champions of the EKOS Gold.
Thus, the Local Development prize, awarded by IZAR Cutting Tools and presented by its managing director, Oscar De Manuel, went to Ainara Delgado and her video entitled "Social Economy". It should be noted that this audiovisual work also won one of the Gold EKOS, the most relevant awards.
Local Development as the axis of the IZAR projectIZAR chose this theme to mark its mark on the festival, precisely because of the Amorebieta manufacturer's commitment to its environment, to employment, culture, sport and third sector associations, a constant in the company's day-to-day work.
It should be remembered that 25 years ago, a group of workers took over ownership of IZAR in the form of a worker-owned limited company, with the intention of maintaining their jobs, economic activity in Amorebieta and ensuring a better future for future generations, based on their individual and collective efforts.
Thus, a quarter of a century later, the company is still committed to the generation of quality employment, with policies of collaboration with educational centres, welcoming DUAL students, providing them with satisfactory first work experiences, and supporting programmes to attract female talent to the industry.
In addition, IZAR actively collaborates with international NGOs but also with local associations such as Caritas, the local chess, water polo or paddle tennis clubs, participates in the promotion of women's pelota and football, in the promotion of the Basque language, etc. among other sporting and cultural activities that it supports in Amorebieta and the surrounding area.
