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[iain]

Six years ago, the owners of a significant number of language schools in the province of Verona did a fairly unusual thing. Prompted by efforts of a neutral but interested person - they met up for dinner to discuss the prospect of setting up an association in an attempt to gain some more formal recognition of 'serious' schools (ie not 'fly by night' operations) on a local level. The bigger franchise schools didn't reply to the invitation and some of the schools present showed no further interest: suspicion of competitors and long-standing differences were probably too strong to overcome.
Since the early glory days of conferences and Language Days the association has seen more downs than ups: mainly due to the closure of several original members. This very fact highlights one of the reasons that makes an association worthwhile - getting a broader understanding of the trends that the current climate has created. Having fellow shoulders to cry on is nice enough, but the real benefit is that building up a wider recognition of the reality within we operate can help us focus on improving.
Are there any similar organisations elsewhere in Italy? Is there anyone involved in running a school who's interested in discussing the changes they see around them?