Social Innovation Network Summary

SINet aims to explore, stimulate, debate, and advance solidarity as a crucial topic within European society. 

It will gather citizens from four EU and non-EU countries that are with a long history of facing a political, social, and economic crisis. The project will assess the needs those countries and their citizens are facing while understanding the importance of solidarity and love for other human beings from marginalized communities. 

The aim of the project is to encourage democratic and civic participation of citizens at the Union level as well as to promote opportunities for societal engagement, civil protection, and volunteering, through the use of social innovation and new technologies. We will invite citizens (marginalized communities, CSOs, public authorities, business sector, experts in new technologies, youngsters, and other citizens) to take part in the debate about equal access, cross-border and local dimension, intercultural dialogue and promotion of volunteering, and for their possible active engagement in organizations, so they can implement their innovative solutions and the use of technology in order to stimulate European solidarity, as a tool for improving the lives of the people from marginalized communities. Moreover, through this project, we would like to inspire them to become responsible citizens, aware of their community issues, as well as to gain concrete tools how to be always active, prepared to improve the quality of the communities they live in.

Impact and Citizens Involvement 

On a short-term level, the participants in the project, represented by the representatives of the marginalized communities, civil society organizations representatives, public authorities’ representatives, business sector representatives, experts in new technologies, youngsters, and other citizens, will get more aware of the opportunities for the digital transformation of the solidarity methods.​

​They will not only discuss and learn for the solidarity methods and the digital transformation of the civil society, but they will be encouraged and strongly motivated to put those learnings into practice, by creating social digital innovations for reaching larger social impact for the marginalized communities, but in the same time for their own civil society organizations, enterprises, municipalities, and other local authorities, and in general for all institutions on European Unions level.

The project will encourage the transfer of know-how and good practices, it will promote intercultural learning and active European citizenship, it will promote the concept of solidarity and democratic and civic participation, as well as will enhance Europe for Citizens visibility. The importance of networking with the civil society will be presented to the local authorities, especially in the age of digitalization; also the power of the social innovations initiated and led by the civil society.

During the project, 4 civil society organizations and 4 municipalities will be directly involved in the project activities, also representatives from other relevant entities and local citizens and professionals will be involved. At a later stage, more organizations will be included. 200 direct participants on the events, at least 800 members of the organizations, and at least 10000 readers of the media will become more aware of marginalized communities, solidarity, social innovation, and digitalization, as well as European active citizenship and democracy. We will include 15% of people of marginalized communities as direct participants in the events. We will try to reach 5% of the outreach of new ideas in practice.

On a long-term level, the local authorities, the organizations involved, individual experts, citizens, the companies, and other relevant subjects will be members of the Social Innovation Network. Additionally, the SINet will continue to develop and increase the membership, so it will motivate the members on networking, collaboration, and sharing their good practices in the SINet community group. The SINet will continue organizing training courses, webinars, focus groups, conferences, the share of good practices, with the main aim to track the new technologies and use them in the empowerment of the civil society and make it more independent and aware.

Digital technology, together with the social innovation and design approaches, can help civil society organizations expand the reach of existing services, sense and respond to new needs as they emerge, and achieve more for less. Therefore, that’s how we will initiate better social services and local authorities, in order to have more happy, satisfied, and fulfilled citizens, aware of their role in the European society. The concept of “digital civil society” is taking hold as a framework for leaders in philanthropy, nonprofit/nongovernmental organizations, digital capacity builders, tech funders and support organizations, policymakers, and scholars. ​

Partners Involved

Short presentation of the partner organizations responsible for the implementation of the project Social Innovation Network.

Municipalities Involved

Short presentation of the municipalities represented by the partner organizations responsible for the implementation of the project Social Innovation Network.

Donors

The project Social Innovation Network is funded by the Europe for Citizens Programme.