09 Jun Shaping inclusive societies: the promising path of innovation
Mind Inclusion 2.0 final webinar – 6 May 2021
Inclusion is a daily fight. The COVID-19 has strengthened the need to see the vulnerable groups and to not leave them behind. How can innovation help in this fight? How can digital tools support vulnerable people such as migrants, people with disabilities or young people?
The Mind Inclusion 2.0 project’s final webinar “Shaping inclusive societies: the promising path of innovation” tried to answer these questions and put innovation at the heart of the debate. Indeed, during the fourth MI2.0 Webinar, three European projects gathered to highlight the need for inclusion and to promote innovation. MIICT was one of these three projects, along with Mind Inclusion and FACE.
Even though the groups targeted are different, the projects have a lot in common. Each project aims to develop sustainable solutions to improve the life of the different target groups by developing tools through a co-creation process. It means that either people with disabilities, migrants or youth were part of the process. Moreover, they are all tackling the issue of inclusion by promoting the use of innovative tools to shape our society and promoting the need for inclusion.
Three experts led the webinar, providing inspiring food for thoughts, and making the events of great interest:
- Florian Huber, Project Manager, SYNYO GmbH
- Michela Saretta, Psychologist, Cooperative Margherita
- Kurt Abela, Service Coordinator, Kellimni.com
The three speakers have shed light not only on the opportunities, but on also the risks of using innovative tools to promote a sustainable and inclusive society. Benefitting from their professional experiences, they provided examples of innovative tools and strategies in support of people with disabilities, migrants and youth.
Florian Huber from MIICT especially addressed the question of how the MIICT project deploys ICT-tools and innovation to better include migrants and refugees, and in which sectors. He then talked about his experience with co-creation and participatory design of ICT tools, and how this approach better serves the inclusion of migrants.
When fighting for inclusion, the need to “leave no one behind” becomes stronger every day. The event was meant to reaffirm that concept and to reflect on the role of innovation as the focal point of the discussion.