1. What do you remember most vividly about the summer of 1986, when what is now Autoocupació began to take shape?
What I remember most about that summer of 1986 is the excitement and the conviction that we needed to do something different. It was a difficult time, with youth unemployment approaching 50%. People without qualifications had great difficulty finding work, while those of us at university were often recruited by major consultancies and companies before we had even finished our degrees. That contrast made us aware of a reality we could not simply ignore.
Together with Carles Mascaró, a member of the Piarist order, and a group of fellow university students, we decided to act. At first, we drew inspiration from initiatives that helped people look for work and imagined what we called a “Job Shop”. Before long, however, we realised that the best way to find a job might be to create one for yourself. That was how we coined the Catalan word autoocupació. The term did not exist at the time; we created it as a translation of the English expression self-employment.
That was the beginning of the Centre de Promoció i Gestió d’Iniciatives d’Autoocupació Juvenil de Catalunya, or CP’AC. Our first motto was clear: “Creating your own job is an investment in yourself.” We were fortunate enough to secure some resources to get the project started, but above all we relied on the commitment and voluntary work of many people.
It is also important to understand the context of those years. Following the dictatorship, the restoration of democracy and the adoption of the Constitution, Spain joined the European Economic Community in 1986, and there was a strong desire to take part in society. We were young and believed we could change the world. Perhaps we have not changed all of it, but we have transformed a small part of it. We did not stay at home or leave the solution to those in power: we decided to take charge of our own lives. That idea remains central to Autoocupació today. Whether we help someone start a business or provide training and support to help them find work and improve their circumstances, our goal is always the same: to empower people to decide what they want to be and take charge of their own lives.
2. You have lived through every stage of the organisation. If you had to single out one defining moment from these 40 years, what would it be, and why?
It is hard to choose just one, because every stage has had its decisive moments. Looking back at the early years, I would highlight the decision to extend our work across Catalonia and the substantial European grant that made it possible. Recognition from the European Union was the first endorsement of what we were doing. It gave us the momentum to move beyond that first office, open branches and begin building an organisation with a reach across Catalonia. It confirmed that our original idea met a real need and that we could grow without losing our identity.
Another defining moment was the transformation of the youth association into a foundation in the 1990s. It was a period of upheaval, but also one of consolidation and professionalisation. Until then, the project had been sustained mainly by volunteers and had a fairly fragile structure. Becoming a foundation, a step also made easier by new legislation, allowed us to build a stronger organisation based on the work of professionals trained in a wide range of fields.
One distinctive feature of Autoocupació is that it has always been a place where young people help other young people. For many educators, psychologists, economists and professionals from other disciplines, the foundation has been a first opportunity to put their skills into practice while helping others grow. That works both ways: people who join the organisation also develop professionally. They often arrive wondering whether their degree has prepared them well enough or whether they will be able to do the job. After a while, they become fully capable professionals. None of this would have been possible without the support of the Board of Trustees and, before it, the Management Board. Over these forty years, many people have voluntarily contributed their time, knowledge, experience, strategic vision and, above all, their enthusiasm. Recognising their contributions, along with those of the various presidents who have led the organisation, is essential to understanding Autoocupació’s history.
3. Over these four decades, you have accompanied thousands of people on their professional journeys. Is there a story or a moment that captures the purpose of Autoocupació’s mission better than any other?
Rather than one story, I think of many people who came to us uncertain about their future and, with the support they received, regained their confidence and found their way. If you asked Autoocupació’s staff, each of them could probably recall a case that left a mark on them.
Although we have worked with thousands of people, we have always tried to treat each person as an individual and put them at the centre of what we do. We have supported migrants who arrived without training and faced significant administrative difficulties, helping them process their documents and access an initial programme. Some went on to earn a professional qualification and find their first job through our guidance and job placement service. We have also met young people who had left the conventional education system and, through our guidance programmes, discovered their vocation, returned to education or found a way to make a living without giving up what motivated them. Even in group activities such as training courses, we know each participant’s name, circumstances and needs. Starting a business, getting a job or completing a training programme is always an achievement and an opportunity for personal growth.
Countless people have invited us to the opening of a business after making their dream a reality. Those stories are treasures to the foundation. But we must not forget the people who have tried several times, found a job that did not last and come back to us to keep moving forward.
I always come back to this idea: it is about more than helping; it is about accompanying people. That means listening, offering resources and staying by their side throughout the process. We share their difficulties and celebrate their successes; we cry when they cry and smile when they smile. When someone tells us they now feel able to make their own decisions, I think that captures Autoocupació’s mission better than anything else.
4. The world of work has changed enormously in forty years. How has Autoocupació evolved to meet new challenges while staying true to its mission?
Today’s labour market bears little resemblance to that of 1986. One advantage we have at Autoocupació is that we are not bound to follow any political or social doctrine. We have always been innovative and have kept innovating. To use a phrase we have often repeated, we have been “addicted to the blank page”. We like doing new things and taking risks that public authorities or more established institutions sometimes avoid. Our guiding principle has always been to look at what people need.
When unemployment began to affect older people as well as young people, we adapted our programmes. When we saw that access to finance was one of the obstacles to starting a business, we helped develop the business angel movement across Spain and were pioneers in Europe. We also created a marketplace for buying and selling small businesses, helping to save businesses that have no successor.
We also have a very successful mentoring programme. Hundreds of volunteer mentors provide long-term support to people who want to start a business, have already started one or want to ensure its future. We have looked beyond our borders, worked with institutions in other countries and done what people now call benchmarking: learning from successful approaches and adapting them. Some movements reached Catalonia or Spain later than elsewhere and, in certain cases, arrived through us.
Technology and ways of working have changed, but our motivation has not: we want people to work in the field they choose, rather than feel pushed into work that is chosen for them. We give them resources to define their career path, start a business, change direction or reinvent themselves. As things continue to change, we will keep accompanying them and place increasing emphasis on their personal growth alongside their professional development.
5. What do you think is the secret behind Autoocupació remaining a leading organisation forty years after it began?
People working for people. That is the only secret. We have learned that people who pursue their dreams can become who they want to be. So we always ask: “What do you want to do?” And we stay close to them. We do not want this to be just an online chat or a bot. Our offices are open; we have had branches in every province and have worked with many local organisations and in many public spaces.
We have had people on the front line who do not hide away. You open the door and find someone who welcomes you, answers the phone, tries to solve your problems and celebrates with you when things go well. I think the empathy we have sought to show people is the most important thing.
That is what has allowed us to work with thousands of people without a marketing campaign. People come through our door because someone has told them: “Go to Autoocupació; they treated me very well.” Often, they do not recommend the organisation in general but a particular person: “Go and see Laura, Jose or Marta.” At first, people would say: “Go and see Albert Colomer or Guillem Arís.” Many more people work here now, and I think that is a sign of our success. A lot of people do not know whether we are a public or private foundation, or exactly what kind of organisation we are. But they know we will treat them well.
Even as we have grown, we have managed to keep the feeling of being small, with all that entails: staying close to people because we are like them. When we talk about running a business or paying taxes, we have difficulties of our own. We stand alongside the people we serve. At the same time, we use powerful, innovative tools that we have brought from around the world and that have proved effective. They have helped us maintain our position and lead in many of the areas where we work.
And we continue to play that role: accompanying people, being there with them.
6. If you could send a message to the people leading Autoocupació forty years from now, what would you tell them? What do you wish for the foundation’s future?
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” That is all I can think of, because if someone has taken everything we have built so far and kept it going for another forty years, they will surely have done a good job. I do not know whether they will be running something called Autoocupació or something with another name, but they will have kept the flame alive.
I would tell them to care for the organisation’s essence, but not to be afraid to transform it. People’s needs will change, and Autoocupació will need to keep innovating to meet them. My wish is that, forty years from now, it will still be an open door for anyone who wants to build their professional future.
One of Autoocupació’s great strengths has been generational renewal. We have brought in younger and younger people and passed the baton to them. It can be complicated because the team changes, but it has also helped us avoid becoming an organisation where the same group stays in the same jobs for forty years. I believe that renewal will continue.
We have always said that “Autoocupació belongs to no one”. It is a private foundation run by volunteers who make way for the next generation. If, forty years from now, there are volunteers willing to take up the baton, continue developing our current initiatives and launch new ones—and if they retain that original enthusiasm and the desire to devote their lives to a social cause—I will be very happy.
I would also tell them to invite me to the eightieth anniversary. I do not know whether we will still have Gmail, whether we will send messages by telepathy or whether I will send my avatar, but I hope I can be there.
7. Autoocupació’s motto is “I am who I want to be”. What does it mean to you personally? And are you who you want to be?
To me, it means having the freedom, tools and confidence to choose your own path. It does not mean everything will be easy; it means that each person can take charge of their own life.
“I am who I want to be.” One day I asked myself: “Now that you have done all the numbers for Autoocupació, what do you want to be?” Well, I want to be the president. The president’s role now includes seeing the results of the things we have done, and that is very rewarding.
We have an organisation that works very well, with professionals and volunteers working every day and achieving remarkable social impact. To me, that is being who I want to be. I am also becoming less involved in management, and I can see that, little by little, things are running on their own. That gives me time to enjoy personal pursuits beyond what I have done throughout my professional life.
We want to put the person at the centre. Being who you want to be means having freedom, personal autonomy and the ability to make your own decisions. The organisation continually rethinks its approach, innovates and tries to get ever closer to people so it can accompany them on that journey.
During this fortieth anniversary year, we invite everyone to join us: mentors, teachers, guidance counsellors, consultants and the public-sector professionals who have helped us. We want them to keep promoting this message so that people can continue to say: “I am who I want to be.”
