NDA Workshop at the Social Expo17 November 2009
This year, the Alliance of Social Professionals and the Social Innovation Foundation organised the Social Expo for second time on 12 and 13 November, to which event the National Development Agency also delegated representatives.
The aim of this event is for social institutions and organisations to present the activities they engage in to promote the equal opportunity of disadvantaged social groups. At the Expo, NDA presented activities the Agency undertakes in this specific area, as well as its commitments towards calls for applications announced within the framework of the New Hungary Development Plan and equally reflected in EU calls for tenders. Beyond the detailed presentation of the action plans for 2007-2008 and 2009-2010, participants also received information on currently running calls, as well as the content and background of calls to be announced in the near future.
Neither professionals, nor the general public have adequate information on the results achieved by social professionals, which is why it is necessary to organise an event like the Social Expo. This Expo offers the opportunity for social professionals, service providers and users, as well as anyone interested to meet with one another and share experiences. The event itself ties in with the Social Work Day; participants present results achieved at stands and workshops. This year, organisations participating in the Expo presented their work at 46 stands.
NDA is also an organisation, which, either directly or indirectly, puts a great deal of effort into improving the living conditions of disadvantaged social groups. One of the priority objectives of the New Hungary Development Plan specifically targets improving the status of disadvantaged social groups and regions, which goal is equally integrated in individual operational programmes, more specifically, calls announced within the framework of the Social Renewal Operational Programme, the Social Infrastructure Operational Programme and regional operational programmes, as well as the allocation of funding. NDA presented the activities the Agency has undertaken in the social field, as well as results achieved to Expo participants within the framework of NDA workshops.
The Expo was organised at the József Attila Cultural Centre in Angyalföld (13th District of Budapest); NDA presented its activities at Stand 10 and held a special presentation in the Emerald Room at 2 p.m. on 12 November. The Agency handed out brochures and professional publications to participants and provided application consultancy in cooperation with the Managing Authority responsible for human resource development programmes, ESF Public Benefit Company and the Equal Opportunity State Secretariat of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour.
"Inventory Workshop" was the title of the information session, where, beyond NDA, several professional organisations also presented their activities. Themes such as social inclusion, results achieved in the domain of Roma integration, social equality between women and men, as well as issues pertaining to disability surfaced within the framework of this workshop. Presentations, among others, focused on the activities of the National Equal Opportunity Network and Hungary’s involvement in the equal opportunity programmes of the European Union.