20.01.2022 – 15:46
The Innovation in Politics Institute GmbH
Vienna (ots)
The Swiss project Neighborhood Bern received the Innovation in Politics Award in the Community category. It aims to connect volunteers with senior citizens to help them with everyday tasks. Among the finalists were also three projects from Germany – the coordination center for the change of residence in Potsdam, Smart Village Remmesweiler in Saarland and PLATZ Projekt in Hanover.
Ten projects from France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK were finalists in the Community category of the Innovation in Politics Awards. The finalists and winners were selected by a European jury from 1,032 citizens.
The winning project Bern neighborhood from Switzerland was announced in an online event in Berlin.
Strengthen social connections in Bern
Neighborhood Bern is a free offer in which all citizens of the city of Bern can participate. The project brings older people who need help in everyday life into contact with helpful neighbors so that they can live as independently as possible at home.
Volunteers are individually connected with people within a 15-minute walk who need help with everyday tasks – such as shopping or solving technical problems – or who want to have company. They can volunteer their time for up to three hours a week and don’t need any special skills to help their elderly neighbors.
The Bern program works with local partner organizations such as nursing homes, church congregations and community organizations to reach those who need support the most.
Prof. Jutta Allmendinger, President of the WZB Berlin Social Science Center:
“Innovation is a magic word. Our societies depend on innovation to foster social cohesion. But social cohesion requires trust and transparency. We must therefore invite everyone to get involved in society, we must give them a voice. I thank the finalists in the Community category for their work in promoting a better togetherness in our communities. I hope this inspires much more innovation in the future.”
Edward Strasser, CEO des Innovation in Politics Institute:
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of local communities and the benefits of working together have become even more evident, particularly the need for neighborhood support. This year’s winner, Neighborhood Bern, is an outstanding initiative because it shows how small gestures can make a big difference for older people who are often alone with their problems. On behalf of the pan-European citizen jury, I congratulate all the finalists and the winning project, Neighborhood Bern, for finding positive and practical solutions for their local communities.”
Awards ceremonies in nine European cities
This year’s Innovation in Politics Awards will take place as a pan-European series of events from December 2021 to February 2022, under the auspices of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, and the Vice-President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography, Dubravka Šuica.
The nine award categories are as follows: Community, Democracy, Digitization, Ecology, Economy, Education, Human Rights, Quality of Life and Covid-19 Strategies.
Additional information on the Innovation in Politics Awards
The 2021 winners in the Community category
Switzerland: Neighborhood Bern
The 2021 Community Finalists:
Deutschland: Flat-Exchange Coordination Office
Italien: Lunattiva, virtual currency
France: Mas Coop – Intergenerational participatory housing
Deutschland: PLATZprojekt – the place for good ideas and projects
Irland: Protecting the Night Skies of County Mayo
Schweden: SällBo – Ending Loneliness by Living Together
Deutschland: Smart Village – Well-supplied in St. Wendeler Land
Polen: Social Institution of Culture
The events are supported by
* dr Alexander Van der Bellen, Federal President of Austria
* Ing. Eduard Heger, Prime Minister of Slovakia
* Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of Europe
* Dubravka Šuica, Vice-President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography
* Prof. Jerzy Buzek, MEP, former President of the European Parliament and former Prime Minister of Poland
* Allan Larsson, former Finance Minister of Sweden
* Barbro Westerholm, MP, former Director General of the Swedish Board of Health and Welfare
* Prof. Jutta Allmendinger, President of the WZB Berlin Social Science Center
* Antonio Rosati, CEO of EUR SpA
About the Innovation in Politics Awards
The Innovation in Politics Awards recognize bold and creative political projects in Europe. The aim of the competition is to identify the brightest minds in politics in Europe and to present their solutions to other politicians across borders and party lines for inspiration. Over the past five years, citizen juries have selected 42 winners from over 2,000 political projects out of 5,000 Europeans. The prizes are awarded by the Innovation in Politics Institute in Vienna, Austria.
For more information: www.innovationinpolitics.eu
footage is available here ready to download.
Press contact:
Claire Clifford
Communications Manager
Innovation in Politics Institute
[email protected]
00436602220649
Original content from: The Innovation in Politics Institute GmbH, transmitted by news aktuell
–
