Extending skills and knowledge of social actors working with people in rural areas in Germany, Finland, Hungary and Estonia Erasmus Project

Project Title

Extending skills and knowledge of social actors working with people in rural areas in Germany, Finland, Hungary and Estonia

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); Regional dimension and cooperation; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

SARAH – Social Activities in Rural Areas for Hidden people
Topic: Extending skills and knowledge of social actors working with people in rural areas in Germany, Finland, Estonia and Hungary

Staff in social offers in DE, FI, HU, EST experienced a lack of concrete possibilities for supporting people in rural areas. There are few services for people with multiple problems (such as social deprivation and hence social exclusion due to unemployment, mental problems, fear of the future, low economic perspectives…).

We wanted to invite workers and volunteers in social fields, which are in contact with the people “on the other side of life”, to extend their skills in searching solutions for their working area. A second main target group were the members of self-organized groups – often volunteers, who want to change the working situation but did not find an efficient strategy yet. Those actors we brought together with people in good practice.

Staff in the field of social offers from DE, HU, EST and FI started a structured exchange on information, ideas, good practice and tools how to address deprived people in order to extend their professional competences and reinforce their motivation. Therefore, the four partners each identified two good practice examples which were presented to the partners. In the end, the workers (volunteers and professionals) from FI, HU, EST and DE evaluated 6 good practice examples in local context and shared the results in 3 workshops (in different countries). Based on the examples the participants developed (one or several) new working strategies to improve their motivation on support for people in disadvantaged regions.
As a result, the cooperation empowered the participating staff working with the clients, who are – by now – still considered to be “hidden people” all over Europe. European added value: Social engaged people in all over Europe are able to read the project documentation, recommendation of good tools and can use strategies as impulses for their own work.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 49360 Eur

Project Coordinator

Diakonisches Werk der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Kirche in Bayern – Landesverband der Inneren Mission e.V. & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
• Magyarországi Evangélikus Egyház
• Eesti Evangeelne Luterlik Kirik