El Barco Project

El Barco is a socio-community and citizen participation project promoted by Fundación Personas, conceived as an open, accessible and diverse space that connects people with intellectual disabilities, families and the local community. It is a living laboratory of cultural and social inclusion whose purpose is to cultivate care, dialogue and the celebration of diversity, generating solid human networks that strengthen the close and daily social fabric, promoting individual and collective well-being.

At the heart of El Barco beats a deep interest in people and their potential, both at the individual and community levels: it is a place where each person matters and contributes. Through open spaces, creative and wellness workshops, and activities energized by initiatives such as ‘La Corriente’, genuine participation is encouraged and independent living is fostered.

Although it began as a pilot experience in Valladolid, El Barco was designed from the beginning to be replicated and adapted to different contexts and territories. Its inclusive, participatory and flexible approach allows activities and services to be tailored to the particularities of each province, generating unique and localized proposals. Currently, the model has been consolidated and, in addition to Valladolid (El Barco de la Esgueva), it is also being developed in Palencia, Segovia and Zamora (El Barco del Duero), where Fundación Personas has community inclusion centers and a consolidated territorial presence.

This living and adaptable methodology has favored the creation of new initiatives based on citizen participation, cultural mediation and collective construction, achieving a sustained and profound impact on the communities. Thus, El Barco has become a true laboratory of cultural inclusion, a source of inspiration for projects such as ‘La Corriente’, actively contributing to social cohesion and the exercise of cultural rights in the territory.