More than two hundred people took part in the Torino Social Impact Assembly, hosted by the Metropolitan City of Turin on 4 December 2025.

The event represented an important opportunity to share visions and opportunities for the ecosystem and to discuss the implementation of the Torino 2030 Metropolitan Plan for the Social Economy, approved last spring. The Plan is designed to foster partnerships among diverse actors around a shared objective.

The presence of the Mayor of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo, highlighted the value of the platform and the role of social impact in shaping urban policies — from the new urban development plan to regeneration processes and the enhancement of public assets. The economic system must be socially sustainable, with positive externalities included in economic evaluation and freed from unnecessary administrative barriers. This represents a cultural shift, and Turin, thanks to its critical mass, can reaffirm itself as a laboratory for social innovation.

This vision was reiterated throughout the event. Guido Bolatto, Secretary General of the Turin Chamber of Commerce, recalled how Torino Social Impact has been supported since its early days, when only twelve partners were involved. Today, it promotes networking activities, strategic projects aimed at equipping the social economy with adequate infrastructure, and several deeply transformative initiatives that are now reaching the final stages of their development. Sonia Cambursano, Metropolitan City Councillor, underlined the importance of alignment between territorial strategic plans and the impact-driven initiatives of individual organisations, stressing the value of a transversal document dedicated to the social economy. She also noted that the development of the Plan involved 134 ecosystem actors, demonstrating a truly participatory process.

Mario Calderini, spokesperson for Torino Social Impact, focused on the shared vision underpinning the partnership: building a territory capable of attracting social impact enterprises and investments, recognising the social economy not only as a redistributive tool but also as a driver of economic development. The social economy is thus positioned within industrial policy frameworks, as a lever for more equitable and inclusive growth. It becomes a cross-cutting economic model and, increasingly, a political direction capable of influencing the entire system.

As highlighted during the Assembly, Torino Social Impact today represents a broad ecosystem, involving hundreds of actors, a strong base of grassroots practices, and a territorial strategy aligned with European policies. The ecosystem’s approach is bottom-up: rather than implementing projects that could be managed by individual organisations, it focuses on large-scale systemic initiatives. These “lighthouse projects” are challenging established paradigms, unsustainable market logics and administrative rigidities, addressing areas such as impact finance, public–private partnerships and the enhancement of public real estate assets. Among the most significant initiatives are the Social Impact Stock Exchange, the Outcome Fund and new tools for impact measurement and public asset valorisation, which can reach completion with the strategic support of the ecosystem, public institutions, banking foundations and impact finance actors.

Contributions from ecosystem members highlighted the urgency of supporting the emergence of young social entrepreneurs. The future of the social economy depends on the ability to attract new generations committed to change, environmental responsibility and technological innovation — people who work for the community without having to choose between doing good and doing business. Education and entrepreneurial training, both in schools and beyond, are essential to nurturing a new generation capable of combining social responsibility, innovation and sustainability. Governance must be genuinely engaged, and young people must be meaningfully involved in transformation processes. A key issue is the creation of networks capable of turning experimentation into scalable models. Alongside social economy actors, representatives from the Industrial Union and the banking system also took part, playing a crucial role in the sector’s development — from fostering financial autonomy to promoting social procurement. A key message that emerged was that dialogue between diverse perspectives enables the creation of shared value and the spread of innovative practices. A significant contribution is also coming from professional associations (accountants, notaries, lawyers and labour consultants), which have established a Community of practice and a Manifesto for Impact, integrating expertise and project development in a systemic way.

Another key area addressed during the Assembly — and one set to become increasingly central at European level — is access to housing, now a true emergency. Turin represents an advanced laboratory thanks to experiences such as Homes4All, the Community Land Trust of the Porta Palazzo Community Foundation, and other initiatives that the Plan aims to further strengthen.

The Plan also promotes the creation of accessible, open and inclusive spaces capable of generating opportunities and support. Turin has developed unique models in Europe — from Community Houses (Case del Quartiere) to Community Concierge services (Portinerie di Comunità) — through collaboration between social entrepreneurs, institutions and philanthropy. These actors, together with those working in inclusion, care and education, will play a central role in the upcoming Biennale of Proximity, whose preparatory process was presented during the Assembly. The concept of proximity must be extended at every level: building community means practising proximity.

The Assembly also provided an opportunity to present the tools available to the ecosystem, including Community of practice, the Buy Social platform, training opportunities and the European Projects HUB, as well as initiatives planned for 2026.

Finally, Torino Social Impact welcomed representatives of the ITCILO. Turin is home to the UN campus dedicated to decent work, social justice and the social economy. Paola Babos, Deputy Director of the ILO Training Centre, presented ongoing activities and announced, together with Torino Social Impact, the organisation of the Forum “Business, Social, One Vision” on February 20. The event will bring together the national social economy ecosystem and international guests, including Juan Antonio Pedreño, President of  Social Economy Europe, to highlight the role of the sector in integrating competitiveness and social development.

Watch the full recording of the Assembly