On 17 September 2024, NewEcoSmart organised a successful webinar focused on Social Innovation and Capacity Building, presenting a series of innovative projects designed to foster positive change in communities across Europe. The event, organised by AMUEBLA, NewEcoSmart’s sustainability manager, focused on the projects approved under the ESF+ 2022 call. These initiatives are designed to improve digital skills and promote social innovation, with a particular focus on empowering marginalised groups through specific training and development programmes.
The speakers presented their experiences and shared valuable insights into the impact these projects have on various groups, including adults over 45, NEETs (young people not in education, employment or training) and people with disabilities. The interactive format allowed participants to interact with the speakers through a live question-and-answer session, providing an opportunity to explore the initiatives in greater depth and their potential benefits.
The projects presented in the webinar, DI-MARC, JUST4ALL, GSHUB and NewEcoSmart, are tackling a range of social and digital challenges through innovation and collaboration. These efforts are helping to create pathways to improve digital skills and increase social inclusion, directly benefiting those who face barriers in today’s evolving labour market.
Almudena Muñoz Puche, coordinator of NewEcoSmart, emphasised the importance of collaboration to achieve significant results: ‘Synergies are essential in innovation and training. If we want education to reach different interest groups (NEETs, adults over 45, people with disabilities, etc.), all the players must work together. And we saw these synergies today with the presentation of the four projects: DI-MARC, JUST4ALL, GSHUB and NewEcoSmart’.
The webinar provided valuable insights into how social innovation and digital skills development can help promote sustainable growth and community empowerment. By highlighting the intersection between education, social innovation and sustainability, the event emphasised the crucial role that capacity building plays in preparing communities for the challenges of the future. This successful event underlines NewEcoSmart’s commitment to promoting social innovation and empowering diverse groups through education and sustainable development.