New methodological projects to promote constructive and inclusive communities

5 July 2018

VELUX FONDEN has granted a total of DKK 16 million for seven projects. The aim of the projects is to assess new methods for helping marginalised adults join voluntary communities. This will give the adults the possibility to become an active part of the community.

5 July 2018

The seven projects

DKK 1.5 million

OMBOLD, established in 2013, is a nonprofit organisation. OMBOLD has developed well-proven concepts for football matches specifically targeted social groups that would not automatically join sports clubs. A new concept will assess how marginalised adults with football talent can be integrated into regular football clubs.

www.ombold.dk (in Danish)

DKK 3 million

Baba was established in 2014 to help fathers, especially from ethnic minority groups, be more involved in their children's lives. The project 'Marginalished fathers in strong local baba communities to strengthen children's lives and opportunities' will, based upon experiences from baba, develop a manual for organising voluntary communities for ethnic minority fathers.

The project will be developed in Zeeland and subsequently spread to all of baba's other institutions in Denmark.

www.baba.dk (in Danish)

DKK 1.6 million

AOF (evening classes) at Frederiksberg and Copenhagen aim to develop new methods for recruiting attendees who will volunteer as buddies for psychological vulnerable citizens. The project ’Evening class buddies’ will assess whether there is a sustainable way to break down some of the barriers that psychologically vulnerable citizens may encounter when attending evening school classes.

www.frb-kbh.aof.dk (in Danish)

DKK 2.2 million

The aim of the project is to rethink volunteer engagement to make it more accessible and straight forward. This is to offer the more accident-prone adults a chance to become involved in the association’s community.

www.ulykkespatient.dk – (in Danish)

DKK 200.000

This association will assess whether the method ‘Community Organising’ can inspire more psychologically vulnerable people to participate in the association's volunteer work. The aim is to help the volunteers plan and conduct independent dissemination activities either on their own or in collaboration with other volunteers.

www.outsideren.dk (in Danish)

DKK 2.5 million

The project 'SydhavnsPosten' will assess how to establish and operate an inclusive and diverse voluntary working community across major socioeconomic differences.

www.sydhavnen.dk – (in Danish)

DKK 4,9 million

Many organisations wish to strengthen the opportunities for marginalished adults and offer them better access to inclusive volunteering communities.

Professionshøjskolen Absalon, will in collaboration with Slagelse Municipality and SYMB! in Kalundborg Municipality, study the public sector's innovative challenges of activating resources in civil society. This is the aim of the project 'Welfare innovation between municipality and civil society: the community as a method'.

"We look forward to following the projects and their very different approaches on how to rethink volunteering to include everyone, regardless of social position," says director Ane Hendriksen.

Focus on development of new methodology

All seven projects will, in addition to focusing on volunteering, also focus on developing new methodology – thus creating new methods for the benefit and inspiration of the marginalised adults.

During the approx. three years, the projects will run, VELUX FONDEN will host several knowledge sharing seminars. This will give the participants the possibility to inspire each other and through concrete challenges maintain focus on developing systematic methodology.

New grants for seven organisations

OMBOLD
AOF Frederiksberg-København
Professionshøjskolen Absalon
Outsideren
Fonden for Socialt Ansvar
SydhavnsCompagniet
UlykkesPatientForeningen

Seven projects from seven different organisations have received grants of a total of DKK 16 million.

The projects will, in various ways, assess new methods to break down barriers for socially disadvantaged adults and encourage them to join voluntary communities.

"Being part of volunteering communities is about being together, doing things together - being part of something. In the football club, in the local citizen's center and through associations, we get a chance to meet others with the same interests and work together for a common cause. Here everyone can participate, contribute and be useful. Inclusive communities can therefore be a path for vulnerable citizens to become part of society, instead of excluded from it," says Head of Programme Vibeke Lybecker.

This spring, VELUX FONDEN invited organisations and social housing associations, etc., to submit ideas for projects under the headline 'Communities for all'. The projects will assess new methods for developing voluntary communities for all adults - regardless of their social position.

Photos: OMBOLD