On 23 April, in Rēzekne, Latgale, the Society Integration Foundation (SIF) concluded the last of five regional training cycles “How to Create Social Innovations in the Field of Social Services?”, providing participants with knowledge and practical skills in developing and implementing innovative social services together with experts.
The Latgale training cycle wrapped up with a particularly warm and united community atmosphere – heartfelt thanks to participants from all five seminars for their responsiveness, time, energy, and for giving the training an overall evaluation of 9.5 out of 10.
In total, 148 participants attended the training cycles, including social service professionals, NGO representatives, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders in the field of social services.
“I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in all five seminars of this powerful training cycle. I am deeply grateful, because after the training I feel more professional and confident! My perspective and work approach have both changed. I have learned new professional terminology and gained a deeper understanding of social processes. This will certainly help in project development and in future work with social innovations.
The greatest benefit for me is the new contacts – valuable connections beyond the local community, covering the entire region and representatives from different sectors – NGOs, state, and private organizations. It was truly an inspiring space where ideas flowed abundantly. My notebook is full of new ideas that I can now implement through collaboration with new like-minded partners,”
shared Aiga Dakule, board member of the association “Social Cooperation Bridge”, after attending all five seminars.
The training was led by professional and experienced experts from various fields:
Liesma Ose, communication and social work expert, lecturer at the University of Latvia;
Vita Brakovska, lecturer at Riga Technical University, head of the association Knowledge and Innovation Society, business coach;
Liene Kupča, innovation mentor and service design strategist;
Juris Osis, social service planning expert with long-standing experience in the Riga City Municipality;
Una Lapskalna-Alksne, head of Ventspils Social Service.
To deepen understanding of social innovations and the specifics of the social service sector, three experience stories were shared during the cycle:
Ingrīda Supe, head of Support House Brīvupes, a social enterprise in Balvi Municipality, which provides canistherapy, Montessori medical pedagogy, and other rehabilitation and developmental services for families and children unavailable elsewhere in the region.
Anna Jegorova, head of the Social Service of Augšdaugava Municipality, presented common challenges in the social field and the service’s work in addressing them.
Kārlis Mednieks, board member of the Resilience Centre, spoke about the implementation and scalability of innovative social services.
“The training was extremely useful. Learning about the eight characteristics of social innovation, I realized that our idea for Preiļi Municipality fully matches the criteria – that was the greatest benefit. The atmosphere was inspiring, and I feel motivated to continue this work!”
said Inese Matisāne, board member of the association Family Support Centre Puķuzirnis, after the first seminar “What Are Social Innovations?”.
“Very powerful, valuable, intensive, diverse, and thought-provoking. The group size was perfect – not too big, not too small – and participants represented many good examples as current or future social service providers,”
shared Monta Vecozola, project manager of the association Tavi draugi, after the second seminar “How to Identify the Right Problem?”.
“This seminar was not only about tools and methods, but also about attitude – how to create change with empathy, understanding, and responsibility, and often even by challenging the system, because change begins with people, not solutions,”
said Alīse Potaša, head of the MARTA Centre Rēzekne branch, after the third seminar “How to Design Solutions Using the Social Innovation Approach?”.
“It was my first time at this training, and I really enjoyed it. The information was very useful – I learned a lot of new things. I also had the opportunity to introduce myself – I’m very happy about that! The communication and experience exchange between participants was particularly valuable,”
said Jūlija Žugare, board member of Care Art, after the fourth seminar “Practical Steps in Developing Social Innovations.”
“I’m very glad I could participate in the final seminar. The three most valuable aspects for me were:
1️⃣ knowledge and understanding of the link between social innovation, interdisciplinarity, and impact measurement;
2️⃣ the networking and new connections, which will undoubtedly contribute to developing social innovations in Latgale,”
said Iveta Balčūne, manager of Lūznavas Manor, after the fifth seminar “Sustainability in Social Innovation and Cross-Sector Cooperation.”
The training cycle “How to Create Social Innovations in the Field of Social Services?” consisted of five interconnected seminars:
1️⃣ Introduction to Social Innovations – understanding the concept and community-based social services;
2️⃣ & 3️⃣ Identifying and Defining Problems – distinguishing causes from effects and designing appropriate solutions using innovative approaches;
4️⃣ Practical Steps – focusing on Latvia’s social service system and legal framework;
5️⃣ Sustainability and Cross-Sector Cooperation – covering impact measurement and scaling.
SIF organized these training cycles in all regions of Latvia – Kurzeme, Riga, Vidzeme, Zemgale, and Latgale – between 29 January and 23 April 2025.
Sincere thanks to all participants for their active involvement and commitment to developing social innovations in Latvia! We hope that the knowledge and skills gained will prove useful, and we look forward to celebrating new innovations in the field of social services soon!
The training cycle “How to Create Social Innovations in the Field of Social Services?” is part of the ESF+ project “Support for New Approaches in the Provision of Community-Based Social Services”, implemented by the Society Integration Foundation, aiming to promote social innovation and ensure the development of modern, needs-based, and relevant community-based services.
This information was prepared by the Society Integration Foundation within the ESF+ co-financed project No. 4.4.1.1./1/24/I/001 “Support for New Approaches in the Provision of Community-Based Social Services.”
The Society Integration Foundation is responsible for the content of this information.
