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Social Services Europe conference on smart, sustainable and inclusive growth |
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11 October 2012
On Tuesday, 9 October 2012, Stephen Hughes (Labour MEP) hosted a conference organised by Social Services Europe, of which Eurodiaconia is a founding member, in the European Parliament. The goal of the conference was to present and promote the role of social services in meeting the political goals of the Europe 2020 strategy, and presenting Social Services Europe as a partner of the European institutions in this field.
The EU’s growth strategy ‘Europe 2020’ aims at smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The conference addressed each of these aspects in three panel debates with MEPs, Commission officials and other key experts. During the first panel debate on smart growth the discussion focused on social innovation. Social Services Europe emphasised that social innovation should not be used as a mask to cover up austerity measures, but should rather be part of a well-functioning welfare system.
During the second panel debate on sustainable growth, participants agreed that the EU has to go beyond developing employment in the social sector to create sustainability, to take into account the short and long-term social and economic return of social investments as well as the added value of social services.
The last panel debate on inclusive growth was moderated by Heather Roy, Secretary General of Eurodiaconia. She pointed out the paradox between the increasing demand for social services due to the consequences of the financial crisis and the austerity measures taken by Member States. The panel participants identified that there is currently a weak link between the economy and the social system. An inclusive economy needs a strong social service system, so we need more cooperation and Member States to take on the responsibility to provide social protection to its citizens. Conversely, an inclusive social system is necessary for a strong economy. A report of the conference will be published soon.
Watch the video here:
For the press release, please click here.
copyright Michael CONTES
photos by Michael CONTES
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+32 479 210204
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Building capacity in fundraising for diaconia in Europe: diversifying the sources of funding |
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6 September 2012
On the 26th - 28th of November, Eurodiaconia will be organising a capacity building seminar on fundraising focusing on how to diversify sources of funding. This seminar will be hosted by Eurodiaconia’s Spanish member the Spanish Evangelical Church (IEE) and will take place in Barcelona. It is part of the three year programme on fundraising for Diaconia, funded by the Otto Per Mille fund of the Waldesian Church. This training has been organized to support Eurodiaconia’s members and members of members to diversify their sources of funding and find new opportunities, particularly in the perspective of the financial and economic crisis and its consequences on public sources of funding. During this seminar, members of Eurodiaconia will look at funding opportunities in three different areas:
- Foundations
- Major and individual donors
- Corporate sponsorship
During the seminar we will also cover the topic of cost recovery and cause related marketing.
You can download the draft agenda here and the invitation to the seminar here. If you are a member of Eurodiaconia and would like to join this seminar, please register online here (deadline 2 November 2012). If you would like to request financial support for your travel or accommodation, please read the reimbursement rules beforehand.
More information about the Otto Per Mille project can be found here. For more information about this seminar, please contact: Clotilde Clark-Foulquier or Laura Jones.
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Invitation to European Parliament seminar on active ageing for social inclusion |
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31 October 2012
Eurodiaconia is pleased to invite you to a seminar in the European Parliament in Brussels on active ageing for social inclusion followed by a reception and exhibition of Eurodiaconia members’ photography depicting positive images of the inclusion of older people in society and the community.
In the context of the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations 2012 the seminar will be held to highlight the problem of social exclusion and isolation of the elderly as barriers to active ageing – barriers to living a life in dignity. It will be hosted by Heinz K. Becker MEP. Projects, including the Eurodiaconia Award 2012 recipient, and policy responses from members to overcome these barriers will be presented for discussion with a panel and the audience. Innovative practice from diaconal organisations, including the Eurodiaconia Award entries, and policy recommendations will be published in a brochure to be launched at the seminar.
Speakers will include Anne-Sophie Parent, Secretary General of AGE Platform Europe, Catherine Stihler MEP, Guiseppe Porcaro, Secretary General of the European Youth Forum, and Lambert van Nistelrooij MEP. Is there a cult of youth that leads to a lack of respect and therefore a lack of priority given to caring for older people? Or is it rather a question of a lack of or mis-allocation of resources? How can we ensure dignity in old age in times of crisis? These are some of the questions that will be addressed.
An evening reception for the exhibition, hosted by Catherine Stihler MEP, entitled Diaconia: breaking barriers: valuing the participation of older people in society will bring messages from diaconal organisations based on their everyday experience – messages that will call for support to enable a greater participation of older people in the community and show that they are valued by society.
The agenda of the seminar and reception can be found here. Please contact the
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if you need access to the European Parliament.
On the second day, a meeting will be held for members. More information for Eurodiaconia member organisations can be found here.
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In the context of the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations 2012 a seminar in the European Parliament will be held to highlight the problem of social exclusion and isolation of the elderly as barriers to active ageing, the challenges to living a life in dignity. Projects, including the Eurodiaconia Award 2012 recipient, and policy responses from members to overcome these barriers will be presented for discussion. Innovative practice from members, including the Eurodiaconia Award entries, and policy recommendations will be published in a brochure to be launched at the seminar. A lunch briefing for member representatives will take place prior to the seminar in Eurodiaconia’s offices.
An evening reception in the European Parliament will then take place around an exhibition of photos from Eurodiaconia members depicting positive images of the inclusion of older people in society and the community, entitled Diaconia: breaking barriers: valuing the participation of older people in society. Besides celebrating the work of our members, Eurodiaconia will use this exhibition to bring messages from our members based on their everyday experience – messages that will call for support to enable a greater participation of older people in the community and show that they are valued by society.
On the second day, a meeting will be held for members to review the seminar, discuss the Eurodiaconia Award recipient’s service, work on updating Eurodiaconia’s policy paper on demographic change, services and social inclusion, which focuses on older people, and provide a space for discussion on issues of interest to members. The agenda of the two meetings can be found below.
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Eurodiaconia training on advocacy - a new step for "prophetic diaconia"? |
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2 October 2012
 On the 24th and 25th of September, Eurodiaconia organised a training on advocacy, hosted by its French member the Federation de l'Entraide Protestante in Paris. 12 participants from 10 countries gathered to work together during two days on advocacy by diaconal actors.
They exchanged examples of good practices, looking first at "what is advocacy?" and "why advocate?" from a Christian perspective. Participants were then introduced to the theorical background of "how to build an advocacy strategy" and worked on concrete exercises, fixing objectives and identifying power actors. During the second day participants looked more particularly at integrating communications in the advocacy plan and tools to work with the media and build up contacts. 
It was an interactive meeting which supported members interested to know more about advocacy. We hope this meeting will bear much fruit and that more Eurodiaconia members will challenge the structural roots that create the needs they are responding to every day.
For more information:
Presentation by Carla vander Vlist, Kerk in Actie: Networking, alliance building
Presentation by Martin Schenk, Diaconie Austria: Advocacy by people directly affected
Presentation by Pavel Hanych, Diaconia ECCB: campaigning and working with the medias
Presentation by Nicolas Derobert, FEP: case study: fighting for the rights of migrants in France
Presentation by Antoine Sondag, Secours Catholique: How does advocacy contribute to our diaconal objectives?
General presentation Day 1: advocacy and diaconia, building the advocacy strategy, the advocacy strategy in practice
Genereal presentation Day 2: Incoporating communication in your advocacy plan, working with the medias, learning from experience
If you would like to receive our hand-out on advocacy, please contact Clotilde (
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) or Aisling (
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).
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Sunday, May 26, 2013
On 5 December 2012 Eurodiaconia led a seminar in the European Parliament hosted by MEP Heinz K. Becker highlighting the problem of social exclusion and isolation of older people as barriers to active ageing, barriers to living a life in dignity. Whilst active ageing and intergenerational solidarity have been high on the European agenda this year, Eurodiaconia points out that social exclusion and isolation of older people has not been addressed sufficiently and needs to be tackled before we can expect older people to ‘age actively’.
As this seminar consisted of several highlights, it also announced the publication of