SOFIA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION was founded as non-profit organization with the decision 348
of the Sofia Municipal Council to work for the sustainable development of the capital.
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THE SYNCLUSIVE PROJECT PRESENTED AT THE ARGENTUM - STRATEGIC COMPETENCIES FOR SILVER ECONOMY FINAL CONFERENCE
Representatives from the Sofia Development Association attended the final conference for the ARGENTUM – Strategic Competencies for Silver Economy project. Hosted by InnoGrowth with the support of the Sofia Municipality, the conference delved into innovative solutions and strategies aimed at addressing the needs of an aging population.
The conference provided a comprehensive overview of the project, summarizing the mapping and creation of an innovative cluster dedicated to the silver economy, presenting a training course designed to integrate innovative services for aging individuals, and addressing the topic of educating local governments and providing e-lessons to target groups, among other topics.
During the conference, Svetlana Lomeva, Executive Director of the Sofia Development Association, alongside other experts from the organization, presented the SYNCLUSIVE project and its main objectives and achievements to the event's guests.
SYNCLUSIVE and ARGENTUM share a similar group of beneficiaries in Bulgaria – the former focuses on ensuring fair access to the labor market for women above the age of 55, while the latter addresses the need for economic inclusion of a broader group of the elderly.
At the event, representatives of the ARGENTUM project participated in informational videos for SYNCLUSIVE and reassured that networking and collaboration are key factors in making a true impact on the subject of a fairer economy and greater access for vulnerable groups to the labor market.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101094526
COLLABORATIVE SYNERGIES: FOSTERING SOCIAL INCLUSION AND INNOVATION – SYNCLUSIVE MEETS CITICESS
On January 24th Sofia Development Association on behalf of SYNCLUSIVE met with the team of the CitizenCentered Social Services (CITICESS) project, funded by the Interreg Europe Programme 2021-2027 of the European Union. CITICESS project aims to improve policies for regional development policies dealing with vulnerable groups by sharing experiences, testing innovative approaches, and building the capacity of partners to identify, dissemination, and transfer of good practices and engages Sofia Municipality and 7 other partners from 7 EU countries. Both projects address the needs of better and more efficient inclusion of the vulnerable groups – SYNCLUSIVE focusing on the labour market, and CITICESS targeting on innovative social services. The project teams discussed how the complementary activities and outcomes of the two projects can improve the wellbeing of the vulnerable citizens. SDA presented the ENGINE concept, the local coalition and the Living Lab that will offer specific interventions for unemployed women 55+.
The two project teams also agreed on specific outreach and dissemination activities and using the Living Lab in Sofia as a launching pad for some CITICESS innovative services as well.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101094526
PLOUTOS PROJECT IN 2023
PLOUTOS is implemented with the support of the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.
STAKEHOLDERS GATHER TO ЕNDORSE SOFIA’S TRANSFORMATIVE OUTLOOK
The final event of the RRI-LEADERS project, the endorsement workshop in Sofia was held on December 13, 2023 in SofiaLab. The event, organized by Sofia Development Association and the ARC Fund, brought together over 20 participants from Sofia Municipality and local stakeholders from the quadruple helix (NGOs, academia).
The meeting aimed to present to municipal policy- and decision-makers, local stakeholders, and experts the Transformative Outlook developed under the RRI-LEADERS project. The outlook for Sofia Municipality is the result of an intensive co-creation process that the project partners followed over the past two years. The document includes the policy objectives and actions for four policy areas for Sofia, namely, (i) support for innovation, (ii) digital transition and new skills, (iii) youth employment and entrepreneurship, and (iv) sustainable urban development. In addition to policy-specific actions, for each policy the outlook presents activities related to the framework of responsible research and innovation (RRI-AIRR). Both the actions and the RRI-related measures have been formulated and discussed in a series of local stakeholder meetings and confirmed by a panel of randomly selected citizens.
Feedback from the participants emphasized the potential of this forward-looking document to influence policymaking and implementation, by enhancing policymaking practices with the input from research and innovation and ensuring that citizens and stakeholders are actively involved in the process. In times of deep socio-technological transformations there is a growing need for consensus-building around contentious societal matters and the participatory models of policy development tested by the project can provide much-needed pathways for increasing the effectiveness, efficiency, and legitimacy of public policies.
RRI Leaders is funded by Horizon2020.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE LEAD-ONLINE VALORIZATION CONFERENCE ON THE INTERNATIONAL SAFE INTERNET DAY FEBRUARY 6, 2024, IN BRUSSELS!
The LEAD-Online - Learn, Engage, Act: Digital Tools to Prevent and Counter Hate Speech Online valorization conference aims to celebrate achievements, share valuable insights, and inspire discussions on shaping a safer and more inclusive digital landscape, respecting human rights and dignity and fostering opportunity to scaling up good European practices.
Event Highlights
Showcasing Innovation
Highlight the innovative digital tools and strategies developed by the LEAD Online project that empower individuals to counter hate speech online, interactive exhibition featuring project achievements and a digital "Hate Out!" game.
Panel Discussions
Engaging talks on digital literacy, the role of media, strategies to counter hate speech and scale up working solutions.
Lessons Learned and Reflections:
Join us in a thoughtful exploration of insights gained from the LEAD-Online project.
Networking Opportunities
Facilitated sessions for idea exchange and collaboration.
Call to Action
The event concludes with a collective commitment to combat online hate speech, encouraging ongoing efforts.
The LEAD Online project is co-funded by the European Union, CERV Programme. It is implemented in 7 EU countries by Sofia Development Association (lead partner)– Bulgaria, ZARA - ZIVILCOURAGE UND ANTI-RASSISMUS – Austria, Forma.Azione – Italy, Hellenic Open University – Greece, Center for Peace – Croatia, FutureNeeds – Cyprus, Associatia Divers – Romania.
The event will be held in Brussels, on 6 February2024, from to 9.00 am to 16.30. Working language: English.
Register here to attend the conference in person:
Presentations
- Learn, Engage, Act: Digital tools to prevent and counter hate speech Online | LEAD-Online
Denitsa Lozanova, LEAD Online Coordinator, Sofia Development Association
- Prompting Awareness: The Hate Speech Self-Assessment Tool
Konstantinos Mantzos, DAISSy Research Group, Hellenic Open University
- Hate Speech ontologies and Hate Speech Self-Assessment Tool
Sylvia Liuti, FORMA.Azione - Italy
- Learn, Engage, Act: Digital Tools to Prevent and Counter Hate Speech Online
Amina El-Gamal, project coordinator, ZARA, an Austrian counselling centre AgainstOnlineHate and AgainstRacism
- LEAD-Online I Hate Out! Game / PLAY AGAINST HATE: ONLINE GAME TO DETECT AND COUNTER HATE SPEECH ONLINE
Konstantinos Potsis, Project Manager, DAISSy Research Group, Hellenic Open University
- Panel Discussion - LEAD-Online: Championing a Hate-Free Digital Future
- Learn, Engage, Act: Digital Tools to Prevent and Counter Hate Speech Online
Maria KORECK, project coordinator, DIVERSE Association, Romania
- Learn, Engage, Act: Digital Tools to Prevent and Counter Hate Speech Online
Summary and Way Forward
#LEADOnlineConference #DigitalFuture #NoToHateSpeech
The project is funded by the EU’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme.
CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES DECEMBER 2023 IN THE BUREAU FOR INFORMATION AND SERVICES FOR THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS
In the month of November 2023, more than 140 people from different countries have found help and support at the Bureau of Information and Services for Third Country Nationals by taking advantage of the services provided there. Most of the visitors were from Syria. This month, the most requested services by visitors to the Bureau are financial assistance, humanitarian assistance, and assistance accessing health and legal services.
The official website of the bureau offers a monthly program that describes the different activities by day and time. The content of this program is in several languages: Bulgarian, English, French, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, and Persian.
You can find the program for December in Bulgarian HERE.
You can find the program for December in Ukrainian HERE.
You can find the program for December in English HERE.
You can find the program for December in French HERE.
You can find the program for December in Russian HERE.
You can find the program for December in Arabic HERE.
You can find the program for December in Farsi HERE.
The project Support for the Development of Integration Policy Framework and Service Provision for Refugees in Sofia is supported by UNHCR – Bulgaria.
