Social Innovation Hub

“Health for Villages” (“Sănătate pentru sate”) is a socio-medical program for people from villages and small towns, who do not have access to modern equipment and specialized consultations. Federația Filantropia Timișoara, as part of the broader network of the Romanian Orthodox Church, together with the Ministry of Health organized the campaign, ensuring assistance, free medical consultations and dental prophylaxis for individuals who live in disadvantaged areas. Thousands of people were consulted for free by specialist doctors through the “Health for Villages” campaign. The doctors who were part of the caravan that has so far passed through 8 counties to timely discover diseases that can become serious if not treated early. Federația Filantropia Timișoara also ensured smooth running of the activities in the campaign with its ambulance services.

“Partener Social” is a platform for finding beneficiaries in need, such as children, elderly, and persons in vulnerable situations in the community. Personal data of beneficiaries is collected with the help of social workers and Directorates for Social Affairs in the counties of Romania. This platform serves as a preparation for different interventions, such as the evaluation of the needs of beneficiaries, tailored consultations and doctor visits, with an option to organize virtual consultations too. In the end of every consultation, the beneficiary receives a comprehensive report with dates, diagnoses and administrative details, that are shared with the social worker in compliance with GDPR. This project is funded by the Norway grants and used by Fundatia Filantropia Timisoara for their service provision.

“Superhands” is a service for children (young carers) that provides information on emergency and nursing services. “Superhands” is structured as a platform to share knowledge, case studies, photo stories and first aid tips for children and young people who care for sick relatives. It also provides legal assistance and contacts with care professionals, by phone and online for free. The aim of the website is to inform carers about health care services carried out in a family context, while providing individual counselling and sensibilization initiatives to fight against the stigmatization sometimes faced at school and other environments. Young Carers (caring for children) help with household chores, shopping, showering and dressing. They provide medication and provide support in traditional care as well as in looking after younger siblings. Their offer is also aimed at caregivers and multipliers, such as teachers, doctors, nursing staff, psychologists, social workers and many more. Diakonie Austria is one of the project partners.

“Nueva Vida Textil” is a social business project for the economic and social insertion of people at risk of exclusion, especially women survivors of sexual exploitation. Integration into the labor market in decent and stable conditions is essential. This is how, in 2021, the Nueva Vida Association made the decision to start a textile manufacturing business project to promote the training, professionalization and job placement of people at risk of exclusion, with local and responsible business models through public-private partnerships. From the beginning, the entity has had a collaboration with the company AUSTRAL Sport and the Camargo City Council. In total, 22 people have participated in this project (18 women and 4 men). 8 women in contexts of sexual exploitation, 3 people under international protection, 1 couple experiencing homelessness and 10 people at risk of exclusion.

International Youth Program Agency project “Know and Do!” (“Proti un Dari”) aims to develop the skills of young people (aged 15 to 29 years, who do not study, work, learn a trade and are not registered with the State Employment Agency as unemployed, NEETs) and promote their involvement in education, including master’s degree, in employment, in the Youth Guarantee project measures implemented by the State Education Development Agency or in the active employment or preventive unemployment reduction measures implemented by the State Employment Agency, as well as in the activities of non-governmental organizations or youth centers. Additionally, it takes a holistic approach which incorporates access to housing, education and/or health services to meet the needs of the youth and cultivate their visibility. The project is funded by the ESF, REACT-EU and by the state budget.

Diaconia Valdese has been active for years in the Pinerolese area in the field of welcoming people with dementia, with particular attention also to families. Recently, services for people living at home have been strengthened. Diaconia Valdese and Memory Team ETS, the Bari association, creator of the URCA managerial assistance model, signed a partnership in June 2023, that involves the replication of the model for the correct management of behavioral crises in patients with dementia, allowing persons with dementia to move freely in their area and engaging families. To date, there are 150 families followed by a team of professionals who reach the patients’ homes on scooters for surgery emergency, environmental assessment and psychoeducation with the aim of promoting the well-being of the family, avoiding inappropriate hospitalizations, delaying the institutionalization of the person with Alzheimer’s and having a positive impact on costs.

The European Social Innovation Alliance (ESIA) is a European network of 26 partner organisations from Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom supporting and learning from each other in establishing national competence centres and working towards a pan-European social innovation infrastructure on all levels – locally, regionally, nationally, and transnationally. Partners: Centre for Social Investment, Danish Design Centre, Danish Social Innovation Academy, Diakonie Schleswig-Holstein, FASE GmbH, Foundation for Civil Society, Glasgow Caledonian University, Institute for Work and Technology, Phineo gAG, Social Entrepreneurship Netzwerk Deutschland e.V., Shipyard Foundation, Social Enterprise Estonia, Social Innovation Exchange, Tallinn University, Technical University Dortmund, Võru County Development Agency with the lead partner Social Impact gGmbH.

Not replacing but supporting: Digital innovations are used in everyday life to make the work of employees easier and to increase the well-being of clients. People are still the focus – digital innovations are only used where they can create real benefit and are carefully checked and tested before use in Diakonie Austria. The Model “SING” – Innovatively Designing Senior Work – was designed by Diakoniewerk as a concrete proposal for a new financing and provision logic for care to enable independent life for elderly people. The elderly can choose the mix of support programs that they need. With Allfred, a platform was created that connects people who need support with those who can offer this support. Everyday helpers can be found via the portal to help with household chores, shopping or doctor’s visits, for example.

On the European Day for the protection of Children against sexual abuse and exploitation, Diaconía España warns about the dangers of sexual exploitation of minors in video games with the campaign “Your game, your rules?”. It has developed a video game in which gamers will be able to test their skills in detecting suspicious cases of recruitment and learn about tools that help them know how to act if they find themselves in a situation of risk when playing online. This is the first campaign in Spain that focuses on the virtual identity used in video games, where, with increasing frequency, risk situations occur regarding the recruitment and exploitation of minors for sexual purposes. With this campaign, Diaconía España drew attention of the general population, but, above all, young people and their families so that they know the real dangers that some video games can hide. For Diaconía España, it is “fundamental” that society begins to become aware of this hidden problem and that both fathers and mothers, as well as young people, can be informed about the responsible use that should be given to video games and avatars; and have the necessary tools to prevent cases of grooming and recruitment for sexual exploitation.

A core focus in Dila’s work refers to assisting marginalized youth and helping them find their place in society. The development work of the future workshop started in 2022 and it will be done together with the Future Research Center of the University of Turku. The activity is intended for young people aged 16–29, who are still concerned about the future. The purpose is that young people are encouraged to think about their future and wishes and make related decisions. The young person must have their own motivation to participate, and commit to a project lasting about a month, even though the workshop is based on volunteering. Young people are guided through Dila’s own activities, e.g., Stoor (which gives young people a means to familiarize with social work), and through cooperation agencies, such as Ohjaamo or NUOTTI coaching. This work consists of various employment services for young people, a drop-in center for teens aged 13-17, and their ‘future workshop’ (Tulevaisuuspaja) program. The DIGI workshop supports people under the age of 29 to develop digital work skills.