More than 20 experts and activists gathered in Varna to discuss social innovations with the Sofia Development Association

On 29^th June 2022 in Varna, Bulgaria the Sofia Development Association organized a seminar that aimed to create a step-by-step model of the completion, structure and key components of a brand new competence centre for social innovation in Bulgaria.

The seminar is part of the “Social Innovation Plus - Competence Centres (SI PLUS)” project, which is funded by the European Commission, the European Social Fund and the European Programme for Employment and Social Innovation.The event was held in The Social Teahouse, a local partner of SDA in this particular project.

More than 20 people from different Bulgarian cities gathered to discuss and debate ideas on the creation and structure of the centre, among them members of non-governmental organizations, people with an academic background, representatives of the Varna Municipality and other members of the public administration in Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo and Varna. Representatives from the Foundation for the Technical Development of the Industry – Hungary, a partner organization on the project, also joined the event as part of the peer learning activities and shared their experience in supporting social innovation and building networks of stakeholders from the quadruple helix for setting up Social Innovation Competence Centre.

Denitza Lozanova, SI PLUS project manager, presented a study that observes similar organisations throughout the EU and also conclusions on the subject of implementation of different social innovations. Csaba Novak, director of international affairs, and Tamas Szenttamási, social innovation expert at the Foundation for the Technical Development of the Industry – Hungary, presented a research in the field of social innovation, support policies and practices in Hungary.

SI PLUS has a duration of 24 months as a whole and includes institutions from countries with diverse levels of economic development and different experiences of social innovation.

The project is funded by the EUROPEAN COMMISSION, European Social Fund and European Programme for Employment and Social Innovation.

Learning-by-Sharing: The First Policy Brief of the RRI LEADERS Project is Published

This new publication of the RRI LEADERS project – the first policy brief - aims to address policymakers at the national, territorial and EU levels and report on the interim status of the project. It highlights findings from the first half of the project with the goal of creating a discourse around policy implications beyond the involved territories’ contexts. Furthermore, this policy brief features some RRI good practice examples from the territories as supporting evidence for possible policy options. Read how local authorities, research communities, and NGOs integrate responsible research and innovation to improve territorial governance and tackle societal challenges.

New Event Gathers Experts to Validate the Delphi Survey of the RRI LEADERS Project

On June 27, 2022 SDA and the ARC Fund organized a “World Café” event under the RRI LEADERS project. The café aimed to validate the results of the Delphi study conducted in the period February - May 2022. The Delphi itself included experts who evaluated proposals and measures for the development and implementation of policies of Sofia Municipality in 4 areas - digital transition and new skills, support for innovation, youth employment and entrepreneurship, sustainable urban development. The new element of the project research is the focus on the framework of responsible research and innovation (RRI), through which to optimize the policy-making process.

The World Café brought together more than 20 participants from the quadruple helix - NGOs, public authorities, businesses, and academia, who debated in groups each of the four policies and the results of the Delphi survey. Participants had to make their choice and rank the proposed solutions; most of them voted for the digitalization of all processes and services in Sofia Municipality; increasing digital skills; introducing new funding mechanisms for startups and youth entrepreneurship; public sector innovations, etc.

The results of the Delphi survey and the "World Café" will serve to create a transformative outlook for Sofia 2030, which will outline the long-term priorities for the city in these four policies. The analytical reports with the results of the research will be published on the SDA website and on the project website.

LEAD-Online PROJECT (funded under CERV-2021-EQUAL)

“Learn, Engage, Act: Digital Tools to Prevent and Counter Hate Speech Online”

The EU funded project LEAD-Online addresses the need to strengthen critical thinking and digital & media literacy skills in young people, as causally linked to the low levels of reporting and the “normalization” of hate speech online (HSO). The project started in March, the kick off meeting took place in Sofia on 7^th of April 2022 and will end in February 2024.

The project will empower youth, teachers, media and social media activists in 7 countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Italy, Greece, Romania) to become agents of change by training them to recognize hateful discourses and underlying forms of intolerance, prejudices and discrimination, using a rights-based approach, providing them with innovative digital tools to classify, decode and counter HSO, and opening up spaces for discussion of HSO, promoting attitudes and behaviour that respect human rights and values. The project includes empirical research, co-creation of online tools, in-person and online training, and outreach activities.

Target groups are young people aged 14-19, educators, journalists, social media activists, b/vloggers; civil society, Internet service providers. Through online self-assessment tools we will produce hate speech ontologies, which will be used to develop and test an interactive online game, Hate Out! with resources in 7 languages to identify and counter HSO.

Partners will run a series of events (LEAD-Online Talks) and an online creative campaign to reinforce the awareness of the chilling effects of hate speech in society.

Facts & figures:

• Over 4000 young people and educators will participate in interactive learning formats on human rights-based activism against HSO.
• Through Hate Out! over 3500 users will learn to denounce hate messages in an online environment. Students, youth leaders, journalists, and educators will become co-creators of proactive narratives against HSO.
• Over 1400 participants in more than 20 public LEAD-Online Talks will gain new awareness of the wide implications of HSO and will get access to international networks and resources for countering hate speech.
• More than 35,000 people will be reached through online information.

LEAD-Online Partners are:

ASSOTSIATSIA ZA RAZVITIE NA SOFIA | Bulgaria

FORMA.AZIONE SRL | Italy

UDRUGE CENTAR ZA MIR, NENASILJE I LJUDSKA PRAVA - OSIJEK | Croatia

Asociatia Divers | Romania

FUTURE NEEDS MANAGEMENT CONSULTING LTD | Cyprus

HELLENIC OPEN UNIVERSITY | Greece

ZARA - ZIVILCOURAGE UND ANTI-RASSISMUS ARBEIT | Austria

Facebook   @LEADOnlineEU

Instagram   leadonline_eu

Twitter   @LEADOnlineEU

The project is funded by the EU’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme.

Sofia hosted European cities focusing on migrant labour integration

In the midst of the unprecedented wave of Ukrainian citizens forced to leave their homes and being welcomed in European cities, representatives of EUROCITIES network and the cities Antwerp, Belgium, Tampere, Finland, Madrid, Spain, Brest, France, Karditsa, Greece, and Migration work came to Sofia to exchange experiences in how they integrate migrants in their labour markets and how to best support the Ukrainian newcomers. The visit was held in the framework of CONNECTION project: CONNEcting Cities Towards Integration action, is co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.

Sofia Development Association had organized a rich programme of meetings and visits to the premises of stakeholders and service providers in Sofia, among whom Sofia Invest Agency, the Refugee Migration Service of the Bulgarian Red Cross, Caritas, the situational reception center at the central railway station. A special focus of the exchange was the activity of Sofia Bureau for Information and Services for third country nationals that was opened in September 2021.

The representatives of the European cities met with Bulgarian employers that hire migrants, to discuss their experiences, challenges and recommendations how to make the process smoother.

Of particular interest were the meetings and exchange with the representatives of Sofia Municipality – with Malina Edreva, chairperson of the Committee on Education, Culture and Diversity at Sofia Municipal Council, with directors of directorates, coordinators of municipal grant-making programmes, municipal enterprises and joint initiatives with the businesses, the NGO sector and the international organizations.

Cities face similar challenges like better coordination between all stakeholders, more flexibility and problem-solving focus, need of timely funding, more support from the national level, appropriate recognition, and support to volunteers, to mention a few. Cities share the belief that the Ukrainian crisis is also an opportunity for cities to reflect on their policies and experiences and trigger positive sustainable changes for the benefit of all.

CONNECTION project: CONNEcting Cities Towards Integration action, is co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.