Day 2
Posso não mudar o mundo…
The group SDM BQG has been entertaining us with rap singing. Their lyrics are in Portuguese and talk about the cruel world and cold hearts. But it all turns more positive towards the end. The chorus is an advise to all of us: I can’t change the world but …. I can change one person…
Ben Metz on the UK ecology of support for social innovation
Ben Metz, the UK director of Ashoka, talked about the emerging ecology of support for social change and innovation in the UK, providing finance ranging from a few thousands pounds for individuals with a simple innovate idea, through to more substantial investments for more mature, larger organisations.
Tom Wolff offers six principles for collaboration
Tom Wolff spoke about partnerships and collaborative solutions as sparks and catalysts for social change and innovation, at the EQUAL conference Powering a New Future. He said he understood collaboration to be doing together that which you cannot do apart”, and offered six principles for achieving that.
On EQUAL and being a social artist - Etienne Wenger
Etienne Wenger was at the event to talk about community knowledge, learning and identity. These are notes from Bev Trayner of what he said about EQUAL, the need to supporting social artists and learning citizenship.
The Portuguese did a good job
“I couldn’t have imagined that this event would be this huge. The Portuguese have done a very good job…” says Kimon Pappas of the Transnationality Unit in the DG Employment of the European Commission. He talks about what he hopes to take home as a concrete result of this event.
And they lived happily ever after… ??
While everybody here at “Powering a New Future” is happily visiting booths, engaging in consultancy clinics or listening in at one of the three auditioria, a story unfolds in the margin. While yesterday these people (photo) were holding notes saying EX, CLU and SION, today to my surprise they held different signs. They also looked much happier. I wonder what will happen to them tomorrow…
Allen Mercer - nothing for us without us
Allen Mercer, the Commission’s thematic expert for employability, talks about the conclusions of a session with Ana Martins of GPS in Portugal, the UWV Social Security Agency of the Netherlands and Washington Rimas of Afroreggae in Brasil. He reinforced the slogan of many EQUAL beneficiaries: “Nothing for us without us” or, or in other words, “Don’t do it for us, do it with us.”
Forum Theatre
-”Go change into something decent. Why are you wearing this mini-skirt, my sister should dress properly and not walk around in this stupid short skirt!” The young guy towers over his sister and acts threatening.
-”But all the girls wear the same… I think I can dress the way I like” the sister shouts back. Their conflict escalates and the brother hits the sister.
This is a small scene a group of youngsters from Vale da Amoreira showed.
More passion, less paper for social innovation
Ben Metz, UK director of Ashoka, which support social entreprenuers, dropped by the social reporting newsdesk before his session. We invited him to give us a preview - and he explained how he and others aim to promote the idea of social innovation and entrepreneurship during the next few years of European funding programmes.
Ben wants to more of the grassroots people-centred approaches prevalant in the UK, and light-touch funding support with less paperwork. More passion, less paper, Ben hopes.
Importãncia da língua
Na apresentação do grupo teatro fórum do Vale da Amoreira falaram de “bairros problemáticos”. Uma senhora do público perguntou: “acham que são problemáticos os vossos bairros?” A resposta dos jovens foi unanime: “Não.” Falei com a senhora, Rôsangela Rabel.
Fado at dinner
Last night we heard some fado at the Convento de Beato over dinner - video.
Catharina talks about gender issues in Sweden
Catharina, of Alpkvist AB, talked to Josien Kapna about her work on gender issues in Sweden, where she worked with the government on gender mainstreaming. She talks about the challenges of making sure that the governor took ownership of the problems and of challenging middle management about these issues.
Improving prison services in Portugal
Paula Vicente talks about people’s dissatisfaction with the lack of information in prison services. They started “Espaço I” (iSpace) where anyone could go for information about what is happening in their prison. going online has been crucial for sharing information between prisons. They started fifteen communities of practice with people working in prisons meeting up face-to-face every fortnight.
Ana Paula - receiving guests in your cell
Ana Paula, a prisoner from Castelo Branco was asked to talk about her experience of a programme called “a day in prison” for young people to spend a day living with a prisoner to see what it was like.
Ana Paula - learning to make money while in prison
Ana Paula was also asked to describe her experience of participating in a programme of entrepreneurship organised by the Portuguese Youth Institute.
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