Between May 23 and 26, 2023, the iSocial Foundation, with the support of the Department of External Action and Open Government of the Catalana Government and ACCIÓ – Agency for Business Competitiveness, has sent a delegation made up of a total of twenty-two representatives of its member organizations in the Netherlands as part of the first Innotrip.

The Innotrip is a new service that the foundation offers in the field of knowledge generation and exchange, aimed at professionals with managerial positions and/or related to the promotion of continuous improvement which consists in fostering innovation through the on-site discovery of leading international experiences in the field of social action. The exploration of new ways of dealing with common problems, the creation of potential synergies of an international nature and the strengthening of relations between member entities are its main objectives.

The interest aroused by the Dutch system of care and social services, based on an accessible and quality model, with a high degree of public-private collaboration and many shared challenges, has made the Netherlands the chosen destination for this first edition of the Innotrip.

The program of activities has been designed based on the needs expressed by the member entities and proposed in specific optional itineraries – Amsterdam, Utrecht, Apeldoorn and Helmond. Close coordination with the collaborating Dutch organizations and a prior planning visit have been key in its development.

This has included the discovery of projects and initiatives of an innovative nature in the areas of social housing, community development, socio-labor inclusion or impact measurement and management, among others, through visits of different formats to the following non-profit entities, social enterprises, federations and public bodies.

Day 1:

Sociaal Werk Nederland (Utrecht)

Day 2:

HVO Querido (Amsterdam)

Startblok Elzenhagen (Amsterdam)

WoCom (Helmond)

SMO (Helmond)

Nei Skoen (Helmond)

Savant Alphonsus (Helmond)

Day 3:

De Tussenvoorziening (Utrecht)

Incluzio / Buurtteams Utrecht (Utrecht)

JOU (Utrecht)

‘s Heeren Loo (Apeldoorn)

Day 4:

City of Amsterdam (Amsterdam)

The Innotrip 2023 was attended by representatives of the member organizations AMPANS, ATRA Group, Fundació Família i Benestar Social, Fundació Joia, Support-Fundació Tutelar Girona, Fundació Catalana Síndrome de Down, Fundació Resilis, Sant Pere Claver Social Services, Fundació El Maresme, Agintzari, Grup Alba, Intress, Fundació Hàbitat3 and the iSocial Foundation itself.