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CLUES - Social Innovation

We will consider here a few key concepts in order to speak of social innovation. At present confusion is quite widespread in our society: new ideas get confused with innovative ideas, avant-garde ideas are mistaken for technological ideas and effective actions are mixed up with efficient actions. It is necessary to overcome the phase of dealing with the symptoms in order to get down to the causes.

We live in a time and age where R&D&I are very much spoken of, where laboratories and innovation are commonplace. Social work is in urgent need of innovation, but the approach used in it is very often a medical one: dealing with the symptoms instead of tackling the actual causes, the broad issues. There are many interesting and demonstrably efficient proposals existing throughout Europe. Very often these proposals come from small entities that manage to extract valuable theories from their own practice. But it’s hard to generalize them.

These are some key guidelines necessary to speak of social innovation:

• Proposals must be based on proper foundations and should be adequately conceptualized, but they must be developed based on practice and the relationship to those surrounding us.
• We’ll use different means to give visibility to and to share the knowledge generated in that way.
• It’s interesting to use qualitative evaluation systems.
• We’ll develop practices based on cooperation among different resources, levels, etc.
• Every innovation presented will be matched with local or national policies. Influential power is a must.
• The methodologies used will be focused on the individual, personalized, but never promoting a “blame generation” system. The idea is to approach the micro-universe, to then analyze the macro-universe on a social and political level.

Every social innovation developed will represent a way to improve the living conditions of people and will promote equality and liberty. None of them must repress or be used to hide any social unrest.

To that end, by way of example, we can consider an initiative developed by Madrid’s City Council. The proposal includes a prohibition for people to sleep on the streets (as long as there is free space in the existing shelters), instead of developing proper linking practices with services in the zone. The pretended aim is to “help” through coercive methods the unprotected.

We should experiment with ways to improve our work, including new technologies and techniques, but never forgetting the emancipatory sense involved in all social work. The key point is to think in terms of human rights and how can they be guaranteed and promoted. From that viewpoint we will develop and invent new and valid practices.

During 2011, we will amass different practices for social innovation related to street education and non-formal education in all European countries, and these will be shared in our website. We are looking forward to receiving your proposals.

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