Powering a new future

I asked Etienne what he was doing at this event organised by EQUAL and the European Social Fund. He told me what this event meant for him, as a social learning theorist. I couldn’t resist also asking what it meant for Barack Obama!

Tom Wolff who “creates collaborative solutions” talked to me on Skype about his connection to Lisbon, coalition and how that all connects to US President Elect Barack Obama.

Ana Vale on Powering a New Future

In a pause between meetings I asked Ana Vale, the manager of EQUAL managing authority in Portugal, how the organisations are getting along for the big event - Powering a New Future. They are expecting up to 3,000 people over the three days in December so you can imagine what must be happening behind the scenes.

“A lot of work and a lot of enthusiasm…” was her reply.

She says that the point of this event is to show what projects in EQUAL and ESF (European Social Fund) have being doing over the last eight years.

Above all, she hopes that people will be inspired by the stories of getting people who suffer discrimination of any kind back into the workforce. Presenters are coming from Portugal, other countries in Europe as well as India and South America.

It will also be a time for networking and meeting people who could one day be project partners.

Click on the video to watch the whole interview.

This blog is where we’ll be taking an informal look at what’s happening at “Powering a New Future” and in the lead up to the event. There will be stories to tell, photos to share, and moments to capture on video as preparations take place and while the event is going on.

We’ve invited some guest bloggers to give a sideways look at some of the event themes and welcome your contribution to this shared memory of what’s happening. Bev Trayner and David Wilcox have some “toolkits” for aspiring social reporters of any level and we’d love you to try them out, if you would like to try your hand at social reporting.