Building a Network to Boost Social Secure Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Building a Network to Boost Social Secure Europe

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Gender equality / equal opportunities

Project Summary

Building a Network to Boost Socially Secure Europe (BOSS) project will be implemented over a 22-month period by ten non-governmental organisations from European countries – Latvia (leading partner), Estonia, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, France, Italy, Cyprus and Romania. The planned funding of the Erasmus+ program is 115 970 EUR.

BACKGROUND
Civil society organizations from BOSS partner countries have established a quality framework for fighting against poverty and social exclusion, are the most familiar with the needs of their target groups and have an understanding of gender equality issues. However, the influence of these organizations regarding the promotion of social security across Europe is insufficient due to the lack of a strengthened cooperation network. The poverty reduction target through the social inclusion policies of the European Strategy 2020 and the national reform programs has not been achieved. The leading staff from the BOSS organizations have the need for the new knowledge and understanding in the field of social inclusion related to the new targets set in the European Union, which are reflected in the Annual Convention “Social Europe post 2020”, European Pillar of Social Rights, Agenda 2030, Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, Nordic and national programs.

Partners have set the following OBJECTIVES:
1) to establish a cooperation network of European organizations for the promotion of social security and to strategically strengthen the capacity of this Network;
2) to promote the BOSS partners’, stakeholders’, the non-governmental sector’s and the general public’s understanding of the BOSS network’s tasks by ensuring the availability of relevant information;
3) to increase the knowledge of BOSS partner organizations’ employees and volunteer leaders about the social inclusion strategies;
4) to ensure the exchange of experience for the BOSS partner organizations’ employees and volunteers on the possibilities of implementing social rights and gender equality.

PARTICIPANTS
The BOSS network will involve a direct target group – at least 62 employees (project managers, experts, board members, etc., 50% of all – women), and also an indirect target group – at least 20 participants from Cypriot NGOs.

It planned to implement the following ACTIVITIES:
1) four Transnational Project Meetings (Project Opening Conference and a Workshop in Cyprus, two BOSS Capacity Building in Italy and Sweden, one Evaluation Meeting in Estonia);
2) six short-term joint staff training events (two seminars on awareness and strategies for social inclusion in France and Latvia; four exchange of experience events in ensuring social rights in Norway, Poland, Denmark and Romania).

METHODOLOGY
This project will be coordinated by EAPN-Latvia, by attracting at least 3 administrative employees and the appropriate material and technical resources, by summarizing the results of the project activities and partners’ proposals and by ensuring publicity and the dissemination of project results. The partners plan to organize the activities in all countries (one event in each country) by attracting administrative staff, lecturers, consultants and moderators, as well as by providing the material and technical resources, ensuring publicity and the dissemination of results. All partners will ensure the planned number of participants for the events and will organize the target group surveys. For all activities the partners intend to provide handouts with the relevant content.

Project RESULTS:
1) a cooperation network of 10 European NGOs will be established in order to promote social security in Europe;
2) previous experiences and recommendations for increasing the capacity of the BOSS Network will be summarized;
3) the understanding of the BOSS Network’s objectives will be promoted for ten project partners and at least 2000 stakeholders;
4) 18 NGO employees will have the increased awareness and knowledge of social inclusion, social rights and gender equality;
5) 44 NGO employees will have increased knowledge and improved practical experience on the implementation of the basic principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

IMPACT
BOSS project will influence the social security policy at both national and European level and direct it towards reducing poverty and social exclusion through the establishment of a European cooperation network of NGOs, the growth of partners and staff from these NGOs, and through raising the stakeholders’ awareness of the BOSS Network’s objectives.

LONG-TERM BENEFITS
1. The availability of the partners’ informative summaries on social security in European countries;
2. Improved knowledge of the ten partner organizations’ employees on social inclusion and the implementation of the basic principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights;
3. Improved motivation of the BOSS network’s members and opportunities to develop new adult education projects in the field of social inclusion and gender equality.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 115970 Eur

Project Coordinator

EAPN-Latvia & Country: LV

Project Partners

• Interfolk, Institut for Civilsamfund
• Stowarzyszenie “VESUVIO”
• MITRA FRANCE
• Velferdsalliansen EAPN Norway
• EESTI PEOPLE TO PEOPLE
• Be – Creative association
• ASOCIATIA NOVAPOLIS – CENTRUL DE ANALIZE SI INITIATIVE PENTRU DEZVOLTARE