Powering a new future

When working with extremely difficult groups, like homeless people, a result of getting 6 or 8 of them to paid work is very important: the small steps contribute to larger results.
This is what Sacha van den Heuvel from Office Social Affairs in the Netherlands enjoyes in her work.

Women farmers often work in the family farm without being a proper shareholder or normal compensation. The project succeeded in just 18 months to make the entire agricultural sector in the Netherlands aware of this fact, by putting this on the agenda of farm women, their families, banks and accountants. Willemien Koning Hoeve explains why it is simply a matter of “Your deserved right” for farm women to improve their position.

Video in Portuguese.
This is the “credo” Maria Rego uses in her work for “Migrações e Desenvolvimento” from Seixal… and this works in Portugal where every single family has loved ones living and working abroad. The principle of global citizenship is applied; and community and culture are emphasized in their work.

“Tratem aos imigrantes como quer que se tratassam a os nossos nacionais no estrangeiro”. É o credo da Sra. Maria Rego no seu trabalho “Migrações e Desenvolvimento” de Seixal… e funcione bem em Portugal onde cada familia tem os que vivem no estrangeiro. Cidadania global, comunidade e cultura são pontos importantes no seu trabalho.

Susana Neto was impressed with Videoboo - and other online communication tools - when I recorded an interview about more interactive communication for the Urban Knowledge Network, so I invited Susana to record a message to her colleagues in the project about how it might be used.

More here about using Videoboo for social reporting

Susana Neto explains the work of the Urban Knowledge Network, and says that she feels the time has come for more collaborative and interactive methods of communication.
In Portugal the network is piloting a community of practice, with help from Bev Trayner.

Diogo talks about forum theatre in Lisbon. Tomorrow they will be performing….

We were welcomed to the Powering a New Future event in Lisbon by a couple of puppets … and I met up with them later in the day. After a little explanation of EQUAL we talked to some other animateurs: sleeping under cardboard. Would they like a bed from the puppets? No, but food would be welcome.

Bunker Roy, an inspiration with the stories of his work from Barefoot College - where they bring together people in village communities who have little or no formal education to become professional architects and engineers, designing and shaping their own lives - spoke about why he is here at this event.

Nikos Ghionakis presented a project about helping people who have suffered mental illness find work and live in the community. In the audience was Kiki Staikou, from the Ministry of Labour, who recommended the project for the event. When I spoke to Kiki and Nikos afterwards they explained that it took the trip to Lisbon for Kiki to fully understand how the project started - driven by a desire to tackle real problems.

Both Olwen Lyner and Hugh Cassidy are working on projects to help people get back into employment - Olwen with ex-prisoners and Hugh with people with disabilities. They found some differences in the barriers, but alo many similarities.