INCLUSION, 2022 - 2023

Nordic - Russia co-operation: new benchmarking tools for social inclusion and active citizenship

CANCELLED PROJECT

Interfolk was applicant of the NGO development project: “New benchmarking tools for social inclusion and active citizenship in the civil society" (INCLUSION), March 2022 - August 2023 (18 months),  supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ programme for Nordic-Russian co-operation /civil society and human rights.

The application was approved 6th of October 2021, but it was cancelled 3rd of March 2022 due to Russia's full invasion of Ukraine 24th of February 2022. 

In hindsight, it seems as a misjudgement that Interfolk applied for a cooperation with Russian partners in June 2021 , because in reality Russia already started to invade Ukraine back in March 2014. 

The partnership circle (used in the application)

included six organisations from five EU countries, where four were national umbrella organisations of amateur culture and liberal adult education, while two represent research expertise in the area of lifelong learning and culture in a civil society context.

Nordic Partners:

• Interfolk, Institute for Civil Society (DK) - see www.interfolk.dk 

• Council for voluntary cultural associations DK)) - see https://dfks.dk   

• The Finnish Settlement Association (FI) – see https://setlementti.fi/en/in-english/

Russian partners:

• IRES - Russian Academy of Science, Institute of Regional Economy Studies

            Department of cross-border cooperation  - See www.iresras.ru

•  Council of the municipalities in the Leningrad region - http://msu.lenobl.ru/obshaya-informaciya/associaciya-sovet-municipalnyh-obrazovanij-leningradskoj-oblasti/

Background and need (mentioned in the project concept)

The civil society associations in the social, cultural and educational field not only provide joy, friendship, lifelong learning and meaning for the participants, but it also have strong added community values, like social inclusion, empowerment, and active citizenship.

However, these potential for fostering societal benefits can be improved by a more conscious development work by the learning providers in the sector and by a strengthened support from the key stakeholders. There is a need for developing new tools and methods to improve the work with the many potentials for societal benefits.

Aim and objectives (mentioned in the project concept)

Based on these considerations, the aim of the project is to support lifelong learning providers in the social and cultural area in the civil society sector to gain better tools and practise methods to assess the potentials of their activities to strengthen such added community values.

Until now, learning providers in the sector can use many good practice examples as inspiration and support. However, there is a need of more systematic tools and methods for the learning providers on how to concretely assess their own activities and implement improved practice.

The objectives are thus to:

• Provide a State-of-the-Art Survey, including desk and field research to clarify the focus points and indicators for benchmarking the added community values of the activities.
• Develop an online Benchmarking Tool, which allows the stakeholders to assess themselves in different dimensions and categories of community values.
• Disseminate the results to the wider Nordic-Russian community in a sustainable manner.

Key activities and results (mentioned in the project concept)

1. Complete state of the arts survey of benchmarking - combined desk and field research
   • Clarify guidelines for the combined state of the arts survey of benchmarking.
   • Desk research on state of the arts of benchmarking methods in the NGO area and the cultural field, outlining the key focus points of the three main issues of inclusion, empowerment LRand active citizenship as well as possible forms of indicators (from Invisible, Awareness, Intentional Inclusion, Culture of Inclusion)
   • Field research on priorities of focus points and their sub-topics and their possible indicators. Complete 5 qualitative interview and 1 focus group in each partner country.
   • Deliver summary reports (6 pages, English) from each partner country
   • Publish State of Art Survey with recommendations for the design of the Benchmark Tool, 45 pages ex illustrations; English master version and national translations.
2. Develop Benchmark Tool with related manuals and training programme
   • Design the Tool’s frame and questionnaire.
   • Complete national tests of the draft versions
   • Publish the online Benchmark Tool, including user manual, English and national versions.
3. Disseminate the project results
   • Provide a project website. English edition, with easy google translation.
   • Add an online site for the Benchmark Tool as well as link at partners’ websites and social media.
   • Complete concluding national conferences (multiplier events)
   • Provide other sustainable dissemination (news-mail, social media, articles, promotion at events, personal meetings with decision-makers, etc

More information

• The project concept - before the application

• The detailed project description - the application text