European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN)
Rue du Congrès 37-41 Bte 2, 1000 Bruxelles BE
Tel. +32.2.230.44.55 Fax +32.2.230.97.33
E-mail: team@eapn.skynet.be
www.eapn.org
RESEARCH AND EXCHANGE ON LOCAL INITIATIVES TO COMBAT SOCIAL
EXCLUSION THROUGH AN INTERNET PLATFORM LOCIN+
NEWSLETTER # 1
February 2004
Introduction
LOCIN+ is a
continuation of a previous website-project, launched in 1996
with almost the same name, namely LOCIN in a DG Research
programme Science and Society. The main goal of the actual
project is to improve and replace the existing website, so it
can become a real resource center on local initiatives on the
internet for all actors involved in the fight against social
exclusion.
In order to develop this internet platform of exchange and to
ensure its viability, the EAPN thinks that this tool should be
developed by a new consortium mobilising the actors themselves,
mainly the NGO and research sectors who should be the main users
of it. EAPN has now secured a contract from DG Research for this
purpose. In the project actually 7 countries are involved:
Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Portugal and the U.K.
EAPN commissioned the Higher Institute for Labour Studies (HIVA
- Katholic University Louvain) with the central coördination of
the LOCIN+project. The duration of the project is 2 years (April
1 2003 – March 31 2005).
Main goals of the website
The overall rationale
for developing the LOCIN+-website is linked to the EU strategic
goal adopted in Lisbon in March 2000 ‘to become the most
competitive and dynamic knowledge-bases economy in the world,
capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs
and greater social cohesion’..
As part of the Lisbon strategy the European Union has adopted a
European strategy to combat poverty and social exclusion based
on common objectives, National Action Plans on Inclusion to be
submitted by all Member States every two years, and peer review
and mutual learning by al actors involved including the
scientific community. One of the key elements that has emerged
in the first two year period is the need for complimentary local
strategies against poverty and exclusion, this project should
play an important role in assisting the emergence and
development of such strategies. Developing the LOCINproject can
be part of this mutual learning process.
The main objective identified for the existing website
www.locin.jrc.it was to
“set up a common resource center on the Internet for all actors
involved in the fight against social exclusion”. For the renewed
website the focus will be very explicit to ‘set up a common
resource center on local initiatives’.
The website should also create links between the actors of the
research sector, the NGO sector and the public authorities and a
network that is valid for all levels: local, regional, national
and European.
The gathering of the information into the database aims to reach
the following objectives:
- Supplying useful information on local initiatives (data-base)
for (self)evaluations and comparative analyses to improve
knowledge
o in different fields or life-domains (as employment, local (economical)
development, education and training, housing, family-life,
physical and mental health, environment, mobility, information
etc.)
o and social problems (as homelessness, addiction-problems,
illiteracy, dept-problems etc.)
o on different policy-levels (local , regional , national,
European).
- Exchanging experience and information on good practices and to
disseminate the results
- Identifying and determining the needs and the way to meet them
at local level
- Encouraging and facilitating the start-up of local initiatives
and increasing their viability
- Promoting networking and innovative ways (participation,
empowerment) related to these items.
Potential Users
The target audience for this site is as large as possible.
First of all, the local initiatives themselves will be one of
the main users/target-group of the site. Actually, everyone
interested in the struggle against poverty and social exclusion
at the local level is regarded as a potential user of the site.
A special incentive has to be given to reach also the people
living in poverty and social exclusion. For local authorities,
the site will provide them information that will help them in
their policy-making. The community sector fighting against
poverty and social exclusion will use the LOCIN+database to know
more on the initiatives taken in their area and to share best
practices. Social partners and social institutions (eg. trade
unions, employers, employment services, foundations) will be
interested in having access to a database providing concrete
information on initiatives as well as comparative data of
research studies. For the education and life-long learning
sector (teachers, trainers, schools, universities etc.) the
website will be an important source of information in different
life-domains. For the research sector, the website will be an
opportunity for exchange and networking. Other potential users
are national authorities, European institutions, national NGOs,
umbrella organisations at European level, international
organisations (UN etc.), international NGOs (ICSW, Emmaüs, ATD
Fourth World etc.). For local, national and European mass-media,
this site will give a quick inside-view in best practises and
give access to a research database.
Content of the website
The website will
consist of 5 main parts:
Part 1: general information on the website and on local
initiatives
Besides on introduction about the objectives, the structure
and the partners of the LOCIN+website project, there will be
some general information about the fight against poverty and
social exclusion in a local and in a European context.
Part 2 (= main part): a database on local initiatives
Therefore the initiatives presented in the current database
has to be reviewed in terms of relevance, timetable, results,
kind of information etc… New local initiatives (of the voluntary
sector, trade unions, enterprises, local authorities…) has to be
identified in order to enhance the content of the database (the
number increased by 50% at least).
The aim of the LOCIN+ website-project is to go further than just
presenting a list of local projects with information. This is a
starting-point from where more elaborated information will be
delivered (on processes, on bottlenecks and possibilities, on
strategies etc.). Ideas as a ‘service-place’ for local
initiatives or a ‘market place’ for local initiatives have to be
worked out later.
Part 3: policy and institutional framework of the involved
countries
Therefore information has to be gathered about the political
and institutional context of the countries that are involved in
the project (Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Portugal and the
U.K.). There will be a special focus on information that defines
policy at a local level.
Part 4: the research corner
Therefore short abstracts of relevant national research has
to be gathered, including as well statistics as qualitative
research-results on the theme of poverty and social exclusion.
Also a ‘market places’ for researchers can be worked out later
on.
Part 5: networking
Therefore the website will be provided with an extensive and
structured list of internet-links giving access to a wide range
of information (institutional and non governmental sources).
Developments & dates
First of all, the
project-partners started with the development of a concept-paper
in which they elaborate their view and ideas on the web-site and
the project. This document is the starting-point and a
reference-document for the project. On the first 2day-meeting,
held in November 2003 in Brussels, this concept-paper has been
discussed with all the partners. We made during this meeting
also time to let us inspire by the Belgium website-project
www.armoede.be. After the
meeting, the partners finalised the concept-paper. Subsequently,
a call was launched for a web-designer. At the moment, the
partners are working on the development of a questionnaire and
an appropriate procedure for data-gathering on local initiatives.
A second 2 day meeting will be held in March 10 and 11th 2004
with on the agenda the refining of the
data-gathering-instruments, analyses of the pilot-cases, the
development of the research-corner and a design for the national
monographs.
Contact-persons:
EAPN:
Fintan.Farrell@eapn.skynet.be
HIVA:
Barbara.demeyer@hiva.kuleuven.ac.be
Newsletter as a pdf-file |
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