The seventh Family Districts Conference was held on Monday, the 23rd of March, at the Don Tommaso Bottea Hall in Folgaria. This crucial event brought together institutional coordinators, local managers, and administrative representatives to share new development scenarios related to family welfare and social cohesion.
The meeting, opened with an official welcome from Achille Spinelli, Vice President of the Autonomous Province of Trento and Councilor for Economic Development, Labor, Family, Universities, and Research, provided an opportunity to present the network’s annual program and plan its future goals. The work was also enriched by academic insights and technical workshops, designed to support the Districts’ managerial and operational activities in the area.
The Family Districts network of the Autonomous Province of Trento represents excellence in the field of generative welfare policies and territorial governance. Family Districts are local forms of economic and institutional organization, in which diverse actors, by nature and function, collaborate to achieve family well-being.At the opening, Vice President Achille Spinelli emphasized the conference’s strategic importance in boosting the growth of the District network, thanking the Agency for Social Cohesion and the Demarchi Foundation for their ongoing support. “The goal,” Spinelli explained, “is to integrate the public, private, nonprofit, and economic sectors into a 2040-focused plan, placing family policies at the heart of Trentino’s socioeconomic development. Integrated families and territorial networks are not only a social asset, but also generate a tangible impact on the economy and work-life balance services.”
The vice president then highlighted how family well-being is a powerful factor in attracting the region: strengthening services and increasing the birth rate is essential to attracting new families, thus meeting the workforce needs of local businesses. Looking ahead to upcoming events, Spinelli confirmed that “the 2026 Family Festival, scheduled for November, will once again see the local districts and those certified by Family Audit as co-planners, consolidating the new format based on professional networks.” Finally, Vice President Spinelli emphasized the Province’s financial commitment, which has allocated a 50% increase in resources to enhance the role of district managers.
Isacco Corradi , president of the Altipiani Cimbri Community and institutional coordinator of the Family District, followed . He recounted the history of the District, established in 2013, citing the Coliving project in Luserna as its flagship, which has allowed the community to regenerate thanks to the settlement of four new families. Folgaria’s deputy mayor, Stefania Schir , then presented the area’s statistics: “With 3,150 inhabitants and approximately 20 births per year, we maintain our demographic balance thanks to the families who choose to relocate here. Our economic pillar remains tourism, with an average of 1.2 million visitors recorded in 2025.”
Miriana Detti , Director General of the Agency for Social Cohesion, highlighted the network’s steady growth, which now includes 1,178 partner organizations (25% public and 75% private). She also presented the 2026 call for financial support for projects, the 21 projects funded in the 2025-2026 two-year period with the Demarchi Foundation, and upcoming events, including the District Meeting in Vallagarina in October. Finally, the 2026 program was illustrated by
Debora Nicoletto , the Agency’s District Representative, who detailed the training programs for local managers and the technical deadlines for work programs. In 2025 alone, the Districts promoted 469 projects, addressing crucial areas such as local welfare, family services, and the educational community.
The scientific debate was led by Maurizio Busacca , associate professor of Economic Sociology and Social Policy at Ca’ Foscari University, who presented the updated indicators for measuring District performance. Together with Alessandro Caputo , consultant and researcher in territorial planning, Busacca introduced the innovative concept of territorial co-leadership : a model in which public value is not generated by a single entity, but by the quality of relationships between diverse actors from the public, private, and third sectors. According to this vision, shared leadership has developed within the Districts, where technical expertise and political clout reinforce each other.
The two instructors also engaged participants in group workshops, encouraging practical reflection on the dynamics of thought, action, and conflict management. The closing remarks were given by Theofanis Vervelacis , a consultant and trainer specializing in organizational development, who illustrated a novel approach to measuring the effectiveness of organizational models adopted by Districts.