ODV Casa Arcobaleno represents a Third Sector organization committed to promoting health, social inclusion, and community participation through innovative social and healthcare intervention models. The association is particularly distinguished for its work within the Torino Fast Track City network, an international initiative aimed at achieving the goals of HIV prevention, early diagnosis, and the fight against HIV-related stigma.
Within this network, Casa Arcobaleno has developed awareness-raising and community outreach activities, contributing to the dissemination of a culture of prevention through the administration of rapid HIV and syphilis tests. These activities have expanded access to screening services, promoting early diagnosis and timely care pathways, especially for individuals and social groups who often face greater barriers in accessing traditional healthcare services. In this sense, the association’s actions generate a dual impact: a healthcare impact, through the early detection of infections, and a socio-economic impact, thanks to the reduction of healthcare and social costs associated with late diagnoses and insufficient prevention. Some of the scientific evidence produced includes:
Bert, F., Gualano, M. R., Biancone, P., Brescia, V., Camussi, E., Martorana, M., … & Siliquini, R. (2018). Cost-effectiveness of HIV screening in high-income countries: a systematic review. Health Policy, 122(5), 533–547.
Brescia, V., Caratù, M., & Scaioli, G. (2019). A Community-Based social marketing strategy to prevent HIV and fight stigma. International Journal of Business and Management, 14(10), 196–213.
Brescia, V., Scavia, M., Trentini, L., Boero, G., Vernero, G., Bisio, M., … & Biancone, P. (2022). Rapid HIV testing activities at Turin Pride to define strategic and organizational policies among MSM. European Journal of Volunteering and Community-Based Projects, 1(3), 1–14.
Amelio, S., Gazzola, P., Biancone, P., & Brescia, V. (2025). Sustainability and performance evaluation in third sector partnerships: the case of Turin Fast Track City. Financial Accountability & Management, 41(2), 381–397.
Brescia, V., Ragusa, P., Miserere, E., & Bert, F. (2025). Assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of community-based voluntary counseling and testing for HIV in Turin: insights from the Fast-Track Cities initiative – a cross-sectional study. BMC Health Services Research, 25(1), 820.
A central element of Casa Arcobaleno’s experience also concerns the sustainability of the intervention models adopted. The association promotes co-design and co-planning practices between public and private actors, building collaborative networks among Third Sector organizations, healthcare institutions, local administrations, and territorial communities. This approach makes it possible to develop interventions that are more responsive to people’s real needs while strengthening the economic and organizational sustainability of initiatives through the enhancement of shared competencies, participation, and resource integration.
The ability to combine volunteering, health promotion, and social innovation is also fostered through the organization of the Premio Gigi Guglielmini, awarded for the association’s contribution to the promotion of volunteering and public health. This recognition highlights the social value of the experience developed by Casa Arcobaleno and the organization’s role in disseminating practices oriented toward prevention, inclusion, and civic participation.
Alongside its territorial and operational activities, Casa Arcobaleno also develops a cultural and scientific dimension through the management of the European Journal of Volunteering and Community-Based Projects, a journal dedicated to promoting social impact-oriented models within the Third Sector and recognized by ANVUR-MIUR. This editorial space encourages the dissemination of reflections, practices, and tools related to impact assessment, social and economic sustainability, and collaborative processes among institutions, communities, and civic organizations. In this perspective, the journal represents a platform for the development and sharing of innovative models capable of strengthening the role of the Third Sector as a strategic actor in the production of social value and collective health.
