The DISS project aims to combat unwanted loneliness in the six regions of Alt Pirineu-Aran. The training took place between October 2 and 5 in Sort

The pilot project for the Detection and Social Intervention of Unwanted Loneliness (DISS) in the elderly population of Alt Pirineu and Vall d’Aran takes its first steps with training sessions for community activators, held between October 2 and 5 in Sort.

The region of Alt Pirineu-Aran is home to some of the most aging areas in Catalonia: Alt Urgell, Cerdanya, Vall d’Aran, Pallars Sobirà, Pallars Jussà, and Alta Ribagorça. In this context, the issue of unwanted loneliness in the elderly is a prevalent concern for the social services in the region. However, addressing this problem is not easy, as social services professionals often find themselves lacking the appropriate resources and methodology to tackle the situation.

The training that took place from October 2 to 5 aims to address this problem by introducing Auzosare (formerly known as Tecnoadineko), an intelligent technology-based tool that enables the detection, community activation, and intervention in cases of unwanted loneliness. The system was developed by the Basque social cooperative Agintzari, a member of iSocial, and the technology company Gislan, with the support of BBK and the European Union. It has been successfully applied for eight years in various municipalities in the Basque Country. Now, the iSocial Foundation is coordinating its implementation in Catalonia with this pilot project in Alt Pirineu-Aran.

The training was conducted by Olaiz Gorrino, from the Basque social cooperative Agintzari. Three community activators hired for the project through three local entities, namely the Integra Pirineus Foundation, the Welfare and Development Association (ABD), and the Alba Jussà Cooperative, participated in the sessions. Some of the sessions also had the involvement of the coordinators of the social services of the regions involved and their technical teams.

The sessions were held at the facilities of the Pallars Sobirà County Council, providing the framework for the project just before the commencement of the first phase of the pilot, which will be rolled out in one municipality in each of the six regions in the coming weeks.

The StepForME project, led by iSocial, is part of the Erasmus+ program and involves the participation of 10 organizations from different countries.

During the week of October 2 to 6, the iSocial Foundation traveled to Austria to coordinate a meeting with ten European entities participating in the StepForME project. This project, within the framework of the Erasmus+ program, is an international exchange of best practices in the field of youth mental health. It was initiated in 2021 and is led by iSocial. The project also includes Chance B (Austria), Aunua Global (Ireland), Tenenet (Slovakia), and the Center for Studies and Research for an Inclusive Society (CERSIN) from the Autonomous University of Barcelona as partners, along with Catalan entities Support Girona, Ampans, Atra Group, El Maresme Foundation, Joia Foundation, and Resilis Foundation as collaborating entities in the local area.

After the first meeting in Dublin last year, the participating entities in the project met again this year in Graz and Gleisdorf, Austria, hosted by the local organization Chance B. The meeting aimed to define the final steps of StepForME and its conclusion, as well as to refine the resulting documents, which will constitute a useful open-access resource for anyone working in the field of youth mental health or those interested in it.

During the various meetings held these days, topics such as the appropriate use of new technologies in the treatment of youth mental health issues, the employment inclusion of this group, and a community-based approach to this reality were discussed. The responsible entities for developing each of the planned training modules presented them to the other participants, and the contents were jointly discussed for refinement.

We also had the opportunity to visit the facilities of Chance B and their Organic Bio-Social Farm, an inclusive project where people with disabilities and mental health issues work, and which serves as an example of best practices.

In the meeting we also settled the final text for the StepForME Handbook of Technology-based Practices for the Intervention with young people with emotional well-being issues, which is already available on the project’s website. The training modules will be available in the website as well shortly.

A delegation of 15 individuals connected to social organizations in Cuneo, Italy, visited the iSocial Foundation to learn more about its commitment to social innovation

On October 4th, iSocial hosted a delegation of 15 representatives from social organizations and companies in the province of Cuneo, Italy. This visit was part of the GrandUP! International Project, a field study trip initiated by the Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo Foundation (CRC) in collaboration with SocialFare, Italy’s first center for social innovation.

The GrandUP! International Project aims to enhance knowledge exchange and skills development and create a professional network by visiting various places across Europe to explore different realities and initiatives in the field of social innovation. This year, Barcelona was chosen as the destination, and the trip took place from October 2nd to 6th.

In this context, the GrandUP! International Project selected the iSocial Foundation as a case study, highlighting its work in promoting innovation in the social services sector in Catalonia. In addition to iSocial, the delegation also visited other organizations and companies involved in action or business models with significant social and environmental impact, with a special focus on areas such as inclusion, care and well-being, the environment and territory, and youth promotion.

During the visit, the iSocial Foundation took the opportunity to discuss the numerous opportunities presented by the integration of new technologies in the field of social services. In this regard, we cited our applications Nidus and Flapp! as examples, which offer various utilities and a direct line of contact with the accompanying social services to individuals experiencing homelessness and supervised youth, as well as tracking tools for professionals.

This visit, just a few days after the visit of another delegation of social organizations from the Netherlands, further solidifies iSocial’s presence as a relevant and recognized agent of change on the international stage.

A group of delegates from Dutch social organizations has visited the iSocial Foundation and its member organizations: Pere Claver Grup, Intress, FIBS, ABD, and Hàbitat3. This year marks the third consecutive year that a delegation from this country has visited us. Last May, a delegation consisting of iSocial member organizations also traveled to the Netherlands to learn about local social innovation initiatives.

On Friday, September 29th, iSocial received a delegation of representatives from social entities and businesses from the Netherlands. It was part of an exchange trip driven by the organization Coincide BV, which promotes innovation in the public sector and the Third Sector from the Netherlands.

During this trip, the 40 representatives from Dutch entities and companies visited iSocial and its member organizations: Pere Claver Grup, Intress, FIBS, ABD, and Hàbitat3, to get firsthand insights into social initiatives based in Barcelona and the surrounding areas. In the case of iSocial, we explained our work and took the opportunity to present the Nidus project, a digital toolkit designed to improve the living conditions and proper integration of homeless individuals while facilitating smoother communication with Social Services professionals. The presentation took place at the facilities of the municipal residence Cal Muns, managed by Pere Claver Grup, specializing in medium and long-term accommodation for homeless individuals.

This is the third Dutch delegation of this kind to visit Barcelona from the Netherlands in the last three years, as part of a program aimed at sharing international experiences and promoting synergy among similar organizations in the two countries. In the same vein, the first InnoTrip journey took place in May, promoted by the iSocial Foundation, and we plan to repeat it in other countries in the coming years.