New digital platform will help community organisations deliver social innovation

New digital platform will help community organisations deliver social innovation

Fri 07 Oct 2022 by Amy Black

Co-operation Ireland and partners are excited to announce that we will soon be launching a bespoke cross border digital platform – Shared Futures – that will empower community members and organisations with the tools needed to design and deliver their own community-led social innovation projects. 

The digital platform has been developed through our Future Innovators project which is supported by the European Union’ PEACE IV Programme and managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). 

Shared Futures is a web-app that can be accessed via a PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone, or other internet-access enabled device. 

The main benefits of the platform include:

  • A digital space allowing people from a range of backgrounds to collaborate on the design and delivery of community projects that address local needs.
  • Access to free, tailored resources and templates that will guide you through the complexities of starting a new community initiative, and help you plan and execute your project effectively.
  • Using the platform will catalogue the progress of your project through its development, fostering transparency and openness to active collaboration. The documentation of your project is also beneficial as it demonstrates the successful collaboration and development of your project to key stakeholders or funders who you may wish will invest in your project.
  • Community members can also see the initiatives that are unfolding in other areas and can draw inspiration to keep motivated and enrich their own projects.

The platform is being co-designed with community members and organisations taking part in the Future Innovators project. 

This is an important aspect of the development process as it is crucial that the platform provides tools and resources that are practical and relevant and responds directly to the needs identified by the communities we are working with.

The platform will be publicly available to all to access free resources and view the various community-led social innovation projects that are in development. However, at this stage only community members who are based in our target areas will be able to sign up and avail of the project planning and implementation functions. 

Our aim is to attract further support to continue the development of the Shared Futures platform, including widening its reach across all of Northern Ireland and beyond. 

Partners:

Co-operation Ireland

Belfast Interface Project

Donegal Youth Service

Animorph Co-operative 

University of Essex

Target areas:

  • Donegal
  • Northern Ireland – Urban Villages and surrounding areas:
  • Ardoyne and Greater Ballysillan (North Belfast) 
    • Colin (West Belfast) 
    • Newtownards Road – known as Eastside (East Belfast) 
    • Sandy Row, Donegall Pass and the Markets areas (South Belfast) 
    • Bishop Street, Bogside and Fountain areas (Derry/Londonderry)

Links:

Click through video of the Shared Future Platform – https://vimeo.com/718016097

Internal link to find out more about Future Innovators Project – https://cooperationireland.org/projects/future-innovators/

Click to access the login or register cheese