To provide in-depth knowledge, practical skills, and inspiration for creating and developing innovative social services, the Society Integration Foundation (hereinafter – the Foundation) is organizing a training cycle “How to Create Social Innovations in the Field of Social Services” in all regions of Latvia. The training cycle will take place from January to April in Liepāja, Cēsis, Jelgava, Rēzekne, and Riga. Employees of state and municipal institutions, representatives of NGOs, entrepreneurs, and social enterprises are invited to participate.
The training is provided within the framework of the European Social Fund Plus project implemented by the Foundation – “Support for New Approaches in the Provision of Community-Based Social Services” – and will be an excellent development opportunity for those planning to submit social innovation ideas in the open project call. The training will also be valuable for professionals already working in the field of social services, offering a fresh perspective on their current work, as well as for those who are planning to develop a new social innovation in the field.
The training cycle consists of five seminars combining theory and practice, as well as insights into examples from Latvia and abroad. Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of social innovations and community-based social services, explore and define social problems using design thinking, and generate ideas for effective solutions addressing root causes rather than consequences. Participants will also develop leadership and social innovation management skills, learn testing and prototyping methods, and acquire practical steps for developing social innovations that can be successfully implemented. Special attention will be given to equality principles, cross-sectoral cooperation, and the role of digital technologies in creating sustainable social innovations in the field of social services.
The seminars will be led by professional and experienced experts from various fields – communication and social work expert, University of Latvia lecturer Liesma Ose; Riga Technical University associate professor, head of the association “Society for Knowledge and Innovation” and business trainer Vita Brakovska; innovation mentor and service design strategist Liene Kupča; social service planning expert with extensive experience in the Riga Municipality Juris Osis; and head of Ventspils Social Service Una Lapskalna-Alksne.
Participants may attend one, several, or all five seminars. More information about the training content, schedules, and registration links is available on the Foundation’s website: HERE.
As economic and social challenges become increasingly diverse and complex, there is a growing need for alternative, new, and more effective solutions in the field of social services. The goal of the project “Support for New Approaches in the Provision of Community-Based Social Services” is to promote social innovations in the field of social services, ensuring the development of modern, needs-based, and relevant community-based social services. It has already been announced that within the project it is possible to apply for the open call for social innovation projects and receive financial support of up to EUR 300,000 for the creation and/or development of social services. By January 6, 2025, 43 social innovation ideas were submitted, and the evaluation process has begun. More information about the project call is available on the Foundation’s website: HERE.
Information prepared by the Society Integration Foundation within the ESF+ 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.
