One fine day, around the year 1976, Pepe, Victor, Elvira and Mª José Pujol, who worked together in a school on Avenida Vallvidrera in Barcelona that was then called “Ave María School”, decided to start a very beautiful story. They took some children, among them Pablo, Gregorio, Juan Carlos, to help them study, and so, all together, they opened the Taiga Special Education school.

The children and the teachers had so much fun and learned so much that soon other students came to study with them. So many came: Josep, David, Alberto, Montsita, that the tower on Calle Iradier where they were stayed was too small, and they found another bigger and prettier one very close by, Calle Pomaret.

New teachers also came; Asun, Miguel, Astrid Plantada, who taught animatedly. The boys studied and prepared themselves, but it was very difficult to find a job after finishing their studies.

So, thinking and thinking, Mª José and Carmen Rodenas called Toni to come and teach the students how to print with screen printing.
With this trade they believed they could earn a living, and they believed it so much that they opened the Icària Arts Gràfiques Special Work Center themselves in 1992, now in graphics “pull the car” Enric Martínez and Rosa Pedrero, Jaime López… little little by little and with the help of everyone we have been finding clients and you can start hiring students.

But there was a small group that could not work and that is why we opened the Bogatell Occupational Center with a very pioneering work on quality of life and person-centered planning.

In 2004 we had the idea of setting up a special Hospitality and Restaurant work center and thus the Inout Hostel was born, now Izaskun Quilez and Noemí Caparrós consolidate this innovative idea.

All of this was getting so big that we decided that everyone should participate: fathers, mothers, teachers, workers, and that is how Icária Iniciatives Socials, SAL, a non-profit entity, was born.

Its first president was Juan José López Burniol and later Pedro Olabarría, who has given himself totally. But this story wouldn't have been possible if we hadn't all pulled the wagon together. Kika Sauquet attached to Maria José, Joaquim and Carlos may be the ones who know the most about what we have experienced.