1. Social innovation and inclusion: a new paradigm for action
Ana Vale

2. The EQUAL Community Initiative
A starting point: new solutions to social problems more and more complex can benefit from the exchange of experiences, practices, knowledge and reflection between Member States
A clear objective: developing innovative actions to fight against discrimation in the labour market

3. A framework: Principles:
the innovation and mainstreaming cycle: needs diagnosis,
testing, validation and mainstreaming
Principles:
partnership, empowerment, gender equality, transnational cooperation, mainstreaming
as main ingredients to promote social innovation

4. Resources: Wide range of organisations and people involved
National and european networks
Time to achieve results and mainstream them
Specific funding allocated to social innovation

5. Changing the paradigm:
To focus on individuals and communities strenghts rather than their weaknesses
Community based solutions rather than national solutions
To capitalize on diversity rather than discriminating gender, race, religion, age, handicapped people

6. To build solutions with the target groups rather than detached from them
To develop an holistic approach to problems rather than answering in a fragmented way
To reinforce collaborative solutions and partnerships rather than give one organisation one responsability

7. Changing the paradigm:
To encourage collaboration rather than competition
To make information available rather than limited and inaccessible
To make a better use of resources rather than duplicate effort

8. Innovation & Mainstreaming Cycle:
Needs assessment
Experimentation
Validation and recognition of the quality of the results
Transfer and dissemination

9. EQUAL – a capital to explore :
New ways of learning (the role of peers)
New spaces and dynamics of learning (networks, empowered communities)
New actors and new leaderships (social innovators, social artists)