Today, Eurodiaconia released its new publication titled: “Eurodiaconia members’ work on social inclusion in urban areas.” This new mapping provides an overview of the work done on social inclusion in urban areas of Eurodiaconia members in six countries: Ukraine, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and the UK. The report brings attention to the specific topics on which Eurodiaconia members are active in their work on urban areas, the groups of people targeted and reached through social inclusion measures in urban areas, as well as providing examples on successful or innovative projects. The most revalent areas of work outlined among Eurodiaconia members surveyed was unemployment, poverty, violence against women, homelessness, addiction, and loneliness. Work is also being carried out among some of the Eurodiaconia members surveyed in the area of political radicalisation prevention through social inclusion. A Eurodiaconia event in the European Parliament on 5 December 2017 also highlighted the increasing importance of this work among our membership.
The extensive work of Eurodiaconia members in urban areas demonstrates that civil society and diaconal organisations have a fundamental role to play in fostering social cohesion among marginalized groups in an urban setting. This mapping therefore seeks to emphasise how social inclusion can be strengthened in urban areas, by mapping the types of work and activities being done across our network to improve the access to housing, employment and social services for the most vulnerable people in our societies.
To know more about social inclusion in urban areas, please check our latest mapping.