November 2023

Meeting of the Social Innovation Council

The Social Innovation Council, created as a result of the 4IM project, held its latest meeting on November 29. Katalin Somody, who is involved in the 4IM project as a project manager on behalf of the European Commission, joined the discussion.

The Social Innovation Council was established in June 2023 at the initiative of the 4IM project. The main task of the body of experts is to formulate professional positions on issues affecting the social field. This corresponds to one of the basic objectives of the 4IM project, according to which social services can also be developed through partnerships.

The meeting of the Social Innovation Council on November 29, 2023 was joined by Katalin Somody, who represented the European Commission at the meeting. As the manager of the 4IM project in Brussels, she was curious about how both the program and the Social Innovation Council work.

The Social Innovation Resource Center was introduced, with particular regard to field work and the functioning of working groups. The members of the Social Innovation Council also emphasized the importance of cooperation, and at the same time reported their positive experiences with the 4IM project and the operation of the Council.

The 4IM project is a good social innovation practice

Those interested could get to know the work done by the 4IM project at a professional conference presenting new approaches and good practices. The Ministry of Culture and Innovation and the National Contact Point of the National Cultural Support Manager EaSI organized an event on November 28 entitled On new roads.

Several innovative projects were presented as part of the professional program. Andrea Varga, Deputy Mayor of Miskolc City, head of the 4IM project, explained the solutions in Miskolc, but the participants could also hear about innovations in Kecskemét and Ipolytölgyes, as well as the model program of the Parents' House.

The photos were taken by the EaSI National Contact Point of the National Cultural Support Manager.

The consortium members of the 4IM project met for the eighth time

The consortium partners of the Initiative for innovative integrated interventions in Miskolc - 4IM (Miskolc shall be a place for everyone) project met in Miskolc on November 27, 2023 to discuss the results and experiences of the months since the last meeting. In addition, the tasks lying ahead the project team were also discussed.

The consortium partners took part in a hybrid meeting at the Mayor's Office of the Municipality of Miskolc, the leader of the consortium.

The parties present in person and online were greeted by deputy mayor Andrea Varga. Afterwards, Dr. Judit Dobák, associate professor at the University of Miskolc, presented the results of the household survey prepared as part of the 4IM project.

The head of the Social Innovation Resource Center, Andrea Krank gave a presentation to the consortium members about the organizational unit's achievements so far and future plans, with special emphasis on how the work of the Resource Center is integrated into social work.

The consortium members - Abaújrakezdés Közhasznú Egyesület, AEIDL, HÁRFA Foundation and the city of Kassa - reported on the tasks completed since the previous consortium meeting, and then professional coordinator Gábor Osgyáni presented the work plan for the next period. Finally, the management of the 4IM project gave a presentation on the 2nd interim professional and financial report.

Together with the residents, for a cleaner Babonyiberc and Tetemvar

The 4IM project joined the action organized by MiReHu Nonprofit Ltd. on the occasion of the European Waste Reduction Week. A specialist from the Miskolc waste management company talked to the residents of Babonyiberc and Tetemvar at a community meeting about public cleanness issues. Thanks to the meetings, the locals gained a greater insight into the operation of the waste management system, which knowledge will be of great help to them in their everyday lives.

A mutually beneficial community discussion emerged from the community meetings related to public cleanness issues organized by MiReHu Nonprofit Ltd. on the invitation of the 4IM project in two areas of the program.

Among other things, he covered how waste collection, -transport and -treatment works in Miskolc, with a special focus on the selective approach. After the thought-provoking talk, a dialogue developed between the local residents and the specialist. Typically, questions arose regarding how to use or expand the service.

The purpose of the conversation was to exchange fact-based information between the service provider and the service users. This was justified by the fact that - based on experience - several misconceptions about waste collection and transport are spreading in the city districts.

The residents were happy to hear objective information and after the discussions, several of them indicated that they would join the working group that aims to improve the public cleanness situation of the affected neighborhoods, under the coordination of the Social Innovation Resource Center.

By starting the latter - and also with the program detailed above - the 4IM project aims to improve the quality of life of the residents of Babonyiberc and Tetemvar, with the involvement of the stakeholders.

Working to create and innovative social sphere

On November 6, 2023, a professional meeting was organized with the title Partnerships in social work for professionals working in the social field. Details of the 4IM program, which started one and a half years ago, were presented at the scientific meeting. The specialists participating in the project are mainly concerned with the disadvantaged neighborhoods and the catching up of the people living there.

The aim of the project is to introduce new tools into social work that enable integrated social development. The purpose of the professional conference planned for the week os social work was to present innovations on a wider scale. The program of the conference, which targets all stakeholders of the sector, was accordingly put together in such a way that other innovative methods of the sphere were also given the opportunity to present themselves.

Deputy Mayor Andrea Varga, who welcomed the event, said that the city received EU funds for the implementation of the project in 2021, and that the city's social policy and support systems and services were reviewed since then, and new structures were created - based on the experiences. Today they can reach more people.

- First of all, our goal is to increase employment, and that everyone can move forward on their own - she said, emphasizing the expansion of the usual institutional structures and frameworks.
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The deputy mayor added that there is still a population of working age in Miskolc who can receive help from employment counselors - until now there was no service of this type in the social institutions.

Andrea Varga recalled that the Social Innovation Council has already been established in Miskolc. The group of experts examines how to expand and improve the quality of social benefits and services.

The goal of the conference was that social professionals would find new "tools" that could be used to improve efficiency - this requires courage and innovation, according to the deputy mayor.

It is already a tradition in Miskolc that the Miskolc United Social and Children's Welfare Institute organizes a full-day professional program in the run-up to Social Work Day. Director Attila Péter Gúr said that 4IM implements specific program elements in two areas of Miskolc city - Bábonyibérc and Tetemvár - which can be interpreted as a kind of pilot project and which go beyond the mandatory statutory tasks. The specialists are constantly present in the two mentioned areas, they know the problems from the inside, and they try to involve the affected locals.

- At the same time, we also organize communities. It has been our experience for many years that where a well-functioning community develops, sooner or later, small steps taken with hard work have a much greater yield - he said.

Accordingly, the more than 100 participants of the conference first listened to three presentations. Gábor Osgyáni, the professional coordinator of the 4IM project spoke about the program's innovative tools. After that, Péter Molnár, the general director of the Miskolc Vocational Training Center, presented the innovative educational methods of the institute, and finally Ferenc Dávid, the head of the Kékpont Foundation's Innovation Working Group, spoke about the experiences of the "House of Sobriety" program.

After the lunch break, the program continued with interactive sessions, during which those interested could learn about the practical aspects of the innovations presented in the lectures.

The article was based on the minap.hu article.