Interview with Joan Vila in El 9 Nou
Published on the 30 November 2009
The effort makes people more decent, more educated and ultimately free.
Joan Vila Pont, Architect. President of the Fundaciķ Espavila.
Joan Vila Pont, from Granollers, has been working as an architect for many years. But lately, besides his job in the construction area, he has founded the Fundaciķ Espavila, along with his family, and it already has other collaboration. Its objective is to promote the value of the effort, that Vila believes is a key factor to reach any objective.
What are the objectives of the Fundaciķ Espavila?
To promote the values of the effort for the development of the person, give motivational guidelines and try to help understand that the final result can be very satisfactory. And help, economically and humanly.
Why do you focus in the effort?
I have always thought that the effort is one of the things that best shape people's character, because it makes them more decent, more educated and utimately free.
To start with, it is a bit surprising that an architect puts himself in front of a project like this...
If now I am fronting this project is because it has been good for me in my career and this is a project that fulfills me. And anyway, there are many companies that have their own foundation.
Some examples...
You can be motivated to study, for example, that can help you to have a more fulfilled life. A sick person might be sick anyway, but maybe he lacks motivation and to see a worthwile goal. Any effort needs motivation.
And to see a worthwile goal...
Yes, and now many people works just to work, they don't feel fulfilled personally and they work without putting their full soul on it. And effort is lacking in all areas, and specially in politics.
Where do you notice it?
You see that they get into politics to make a living, not out of vocation. And they lack effort. They have a big problem: most of them are bureaucrats instead of leaders.
And what about the youth today... do they care about anything?
When we were their age we were a very uniformal generation, and just a few standed up. Now there is a bit of everything, but on top of it there is a truly fantastic youth, with great criteria and willing ot make great efforts.
Is the value of effort lost?
We have the idea that we have all our basic needs covered, and everything else have to be entertainment. We were educated under religious rules that told us that we had to do good. But they never said that we had to do it because we are citizens and we have to do it.
Which other things you can see lacking in our society?
Effort, you can see it everywhere, and you see the lack of it in every person. When I was young I did the american Carnegie, that says that if you believe in something, you have already get it. From our foundation we want to inculcate and show the benefits of effort, because we believe in it.
What have been the first goals of the fundaciķ Espavila?
So far, we are helping a person from Aldees Infantils SOS to do university studies: a girl that is already in second year of medicine. And we are very satisfied.
Have the administration helped you?
When we were looking for people, I couldn't find any response nor in the Generalitat neither in the Diputaciķ. All the bureaucrats slide off our hands. And that's why we ended up in Aldees Infantils, where they suggested us this girl, that was capable but that probably would have never had studied.
And now what else are you looking for?
From the foundation we are looking for people to give us ideas, economic resources, volunteers and specialists that help us. To say it clearly: that an old man that lives in a fourth floor without elevator is able to get down to the street with the help of one of our volunteers.
How can we contact with Fundaciķ Espavila?
So far, if anyone wants to contact us can do it at the email fundacio@espavila.cat and through our website www.espavila.cat
Josep Mas
Joan Vila Pont, from Granollers, has been working as an architect for many years. But lately, besides his job in the construction area, he has founded the Fundaciķ Espavila, along with his family, and it already has other collaboration. Its objective is to promote the value of the effort, that Vila believes is a key factor to reach any objective.
What are the objectives of the Fundaciķ Espavila?
To promote the values of the effort for the development of the person, give motivational guidelines and try to help understand that the final result can be very satisfactory. And help, economically and humanly.
Why do you focus in the effort?
I have always thought that the effort is one of the things that best shape people's character, because it makes them more decent, more educated and utimately free.
To start with, it is a bit surprising that an architect puts himself in front of a project like this...
If now I am fronting this project is because it has been good for me in my career and this is a project that fulfills me. And anyway, there are many companies that have their own foundation.
Some examples...
You can be motivated to study, for example, that can help you to have a more fulfilled life. A sick person might be sick anyway, but maybe he lacks motivation and to see a worthwile goal. Any effort needs motivation.
And to see a worthwile goal...
Yes, and now many people works just to work, they don't feel fulfilled personally and they work without putting their full soul on it. And effort is lacking in all areas, and specially in politics.
Where do you notice it?
You see that they get into politics to make a living, not out of vocation. And they lack effort. They have a big problem: most of them are bureaucrats instead of leaders.
And what about the youth today... do they care about anything?
When we were their age we were a very uniformal generation, and just a few standed up. Now there is a bit of everything, but on top of it there is a truly fantastic youth, with great criteria and willing ot make great efforts.
Is the value of effort lost?
We have the idea that we have all our basic needs covered, and everything else have to be entertainment. We were educated under religious rules that told us that we had to do good. But they never said that we had to do it because we are citizens and we have to do it.
Which other things you can see lacking in our society?
Effort, you can see it everywhere, and you see the lack of it in every person. When I was young I did the american Carnegie, that says that if you believe in something, you have already get it. From our foundation we want to inculcate and show the benefits of effort, because we believe in it.
What have been the first goals of the fundaciķ Espavila?
So far, we are helping a person from Aldees Infantils SOS to do university studies: a girl that is already in second year of medicine. And we are very satisfied.
Have the administration helped you?
When we were looking for people, I couldn't find any response nor in the Generalitat neither in the Diputaciķ. All the bureaucrats slide off our hands. And that's why we ended up in Aldees Infantils, where they suggested us this girl, that was capable but that probably would have never had studied.
And now what else are you looking for?
From the foundation we are looking for people to give us ideas, economic resources, volunteers and specialists that help us. To say it clearly: that an old man that lives in a fourth floor without elevator is able to get down to the street with the help of one of our volunteers.
How can we contact with Fundaciķ Espavila?
So far, if anyone wants to contact us can do it at the email fundacio@espavila.cat and through our website www.espavila.cat
Josep Mas
