Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) is a Research and Development organization which focuses on fostering social innovation that can bring about a positive change to local, national, regional and global contexts. CSI belief, is that the four pillars of Social Interaction, Education, Development and Economic Rationalization coupled with fundamentally sound and sustainable solutions as well as disruption to streamlined solutions to systemic social problems can lead to creative solutions that impact significant change to the social fabric of every society. CSI is working closely to address market, social, economic and cultural challenges with governments, local administrative agencies, non for profit agencies, commercial entities, and educational institutions. We identify and address systemic challenges through evidence based research, state of the art investigation of global, national, regional and local solutions, developing solutions by taking into consideration the local ecosystem, cultural dynamics, meet the stakeholders needs and implementing those solutions as we keep constant vigilance to ensure continual feedback loop and adjustments. The feedback mechanisms and processes we employ allow us certainty in keeping in touch with our stakeholders and continually update our social solutions proposition. CSI team is composed of open-minded, fully equipped researchers, educators, VET Trainers, social entrepreneurs, project managers, trainers and Information Technology Developers. CSI encompasses the capability and capacity to identify social needs, design and implement adjusted initiatives and project and provide for sustainable growth. The areas of expertise are in the fields of Vocational Education and Training, labor market, rural sustainable development, education and e-learning, social entrepreneurship, project management, project evaluation services, product validation, and training.

Afridat UG alias Afridat is an international development corporation and consulting company established and registered in Bonn, North Rhine Westphalia. Afridat is established by three young scholars and with the support by a group of young intellectuals interested in using research and data to guide policymakers in the decisions of understanding, protecting and developing new ways to manage specific development challenges that evolve with change.
Our overall Focuses are as follows:
• Research, consultancy and advisory services between Europe and African corporate entities.
• Offer capacity building, technical impact assessment, technology transfer and training in order to make better decisions or interventions between Africa and Europe.
• Collaborate in developmental and international cooperation programs.
• Expert Network building of African and European professionals with interest in Europe and Africa.
• Market exploration, sourcing and procurement of equipment or pieces of machinery for European and African companies or corporate organizations.
• Digitization, project branding and dissemination
The organization develops modules used during trainings and knowledge sharing sessions and uses such data to correlate the interplay between linear and nonlinear quantitative and qualitative determinants of economics to shape public discuss, drive policies in the areas of education, migration, energy, information technology, public health and climate change. Our core portfolio in Education, information technology, agriculture and energy are curriculum development, training, developing e-learning platforms, and project management. Survey administration, report development, project design, planning and implementation in opinion poll, migration and climate change. Afridat is recently involved in policy development in some African states and executing awareness training program in Africa to prevent illegal migration from Africa to Europe. Afridat’s has a large network of Non-governmental organizations in Africa through which workshops are executed. Afridat’ s staff consist of 2 executive directors, 3 staffs and 2 interns with 15 experts and trainers in Afridat’s expert network.

Carmen Sylva” Art College is the only art public vocational high school in Prahova county. It is an educational institution providing primary, gymnasium and high-school education. 825 students aged between 6-18 study simultaneously general and vocational disciplines. While the first category includes ordinary subjects, taught in mass schools, the last one includes visual arts, instrumental and vocal music, architecture. Our school has 18 classes for primary and lower-secondary school level (from preparatory to 8th grade) and 12 classes for high-school students. While students from primary level study only music (especially violin and piano), from 5th to 8th grade they can choose either music (violin, piano, cello, viola, percussion, wind instruments) or visual arts classes. Starting with the 9th grade, they can choose music, visual arts or architecture classes.

The school is equipped with regular classrooms for general subjects (building A) and with special rooms for music and visual arts and architecture study (building B). Our students come from Ploiesti and its surroundings. In order to study at this high-school, students have to pass several selections, starting from early ages, e.g. before being enrolled in the preparatory class at age of 6. Every year, starting with second grade, they have to have good scores both at general subjects and especially in vocational subjects, such as instrument and musical theory for music classes and visual arts and architecture-related subjects for visual arts and architecture classes, respectively . At the end of 4th grade, they have to pass a selection exam in order to attend the gymnasium in our school in music or in visual arts classes. The competition is very hard and only the best remain. The next important exam is after lower-secondary level, at the end of 8th grade, when they have to pass the national exams. Starting with the 9th grade, students can attend music, visual arts or architecture classes. According to multiple prizes at regional, national and international competitions our students received, to their high performances at final national exams (maturity exam) or to the results on the labour field after graduation, this college is placed among the best of the county and the first among art educational institutions of Romania. We have students who were accepted to study at prestigiuos art and music universities from Romania (National Music University of Bucharest, Music University of Cluj, Visual Art University of Cluj and Bucharest, Music University of Brasov) and Europe (Salzburg, Vienna, Weimar, Haga).

There are about 700 students and 150 teachers. They all need a great determination and special skills and talent in order to perform at high standards. Though the students come from different social, geographical, ethnic, religious backgrounds, they all have to deal with the common goals of a complex education, to be interested in self-development and to work hard. The teachers show continuously interest and motivation in professional development and they are eager to share their expertise and to learn from other’s experience and good practice. As a consequence, European/ international cooperation is a “must” for both students and teachers of our school. Our students, guided by their teachers, participated in numerous and various regional, national and international art (drawing, picture) and musical contests. On these occasions they were awarded with important prizes. The list is too long to be presented here. Exhibitions of students’ works are also organised on these occasions.

Abbey College is a values-based Cambridgeshire secondary school in with a vision of ‘challenging mindsets and raising aspirations’. The school, with 975 students is in a rural setting serving in an often isolated community with a sometimes restricted view of modern Britain. Our curriculum and ethos are designed to build social capital, widen perspectives, expand students’ experiences and create a sense of belonging. A meticulously-planned Social Studies curriculum which delivers SMSC, Careers and understanding about tolerance, restorative justice and resilience is at the heart of what we do. Our teaching & learning foci is on matching challenge to students’ personal and academic starting points. Our curriculum and ethos are designed to build social capital, widen perspectives, expand students’ experiences and create a sense of belonging. A meticulously-planned Social Studies curriculum which delivers SMSC, Careers and understanding about Tolerance and Resilience is at the heart of what we do. Achieving a number of Quality Marks such as the RE Quality Mark Gold (the only non-denominational school in Cambridgeshire) and the Anti-Bullying Mark (January 2018), demonstrate our commitment and success. We work relentlessly to nurture a culture of collaboration with parents and students, involving them in decision making and communicating widely and openly to win over hearts and minds. We are very proud of the way our students embrace the chance to be honest and mature.

We continue to encourage them to recognise the changes, improvements and positivity their voice has brought to our school in the last two years, one of which is that we have brought back the optional use of student planner. Students are placed into vertical form groups within four houses. Recent student voice and an external review has focused us on how this could have greater impact in terms of creating a greater sense of ‘belonging’ for students. In addition, Year 11 have their own personal development plan focused on raising achievement. The vast majority are in taught interventions, mentoring or self-study and as such, sit outside the vertical system. Hence, we are reviewing the personal development programme alongside the pastoral system to foster a stronger sense of belonging and character. Our students are increasingly comfortable in celebrating their achievements, and many wear badges with pride. In Year 8, students graduate and show their readiness for Key Stage 4 through an evolving Expert Learners Programme aimed at developing character, resilience and a determination to succeed. We believe that developing character is as important as academic outcomes. Moreover, our work in developing a unique iNEAR programme in collaboration with the University of East London has led to two academic publications centred on addressing ‘learned helplessness’ and supporting the Prevent Agenda is outstanding. It provides statistically significant evidence that we have increased student resilience.

Character development is also important for our staff who continue to grow under a set of teamwork virtues: Humility, Intuition and Passion (HIP). This had led to improved lesson planning to secure better engagement and challenge, and in turn built positive relationships with students. Many staff teams now plan together (e.g. Maths Mastery Curriculum) and work collaboratively across the curriculum (e.g. the ‘UNPACK strategy’ and ‘Year 7 Super Questions’ both aimed at improving literacy). In addition, many offer a range of extra-curricular ‘Interact’ opportunities, trips and visits. We model our growth mind-set philosophy by our outward-facing approach; 100% of our staff are engaged in professional learning beyond our core offer, via collaborative work with local schools, their Inquiry Question (part of the appraisal process), national networks such as PiXL and the SSAT, and with two MATs. The Governors are federating with one of these (CMAT), to add capacity and to strengthen our ability to retain staff in the core subjects. We currently work with a number of CMAT colleagues and SOL Attendance Consultants as School Improvement Partners. We take a differentiated approach to professional learning, classifying our teachers in groups, where the degree of freedom to experiment in the classroom is proportional to the practitioner’s ability. All professional learning for teachers is centred on five of the teachers’ standards, which are our current priority. We have recently stopped grading lessons, to focus more on continually improving and developing the quality of teaching, encouraging more risk taking and innovative pedagogy to further increase engagement and challenge in all lessons.

Manisa Ozel Egitim Uygulama Okulu III. Kademe is based in a western city of Turkey with a very diverse population. Manisa is an upper secondary special education school that educates students (age 14-21) with mental health disabilities. Under our roof, there are a secondary school for kids (age 9-14) and a mixed age/degree special VET upper secondary class. This is a special education school. Almost 50 teachers work together for aproximatetly 107 students. There are five helpers and also permanently attending parents, (usually mums). Our programmes are equipped with academic, cultural, artistic, sportive and workshop/handcraft classes. Workshop classes are providing work experiences for students. We also have a greenhouse in our garden. Thus, children grow the seedlings that the municipality needs for landscaping. Also, they made overshoes and ornamental items production mainly for a year. We are carrying out both painting, sports and music work to exhibit each year during national disability week.

The activities of Asociación Caminos are dedicated to the field of education. “Caminos” indicates the importance of finding new paths to reach our goals, to discover individual resources and opportunities to overcome the actual challenges together. We focus on the development and transfer of innovative methods from other countries within the European context to Spanish entities that offer permanent services.
Main objectives include fostering the exchange and communication, improving individual opportunities of development, supporting the social inclusion of disadvantaged people and developing innovative methodologies in the field of training, education and social development through national and international cooperation. The activities of the non-profit association “Caminos” founded in 2014 are dedicated to the field of education and social work. Our name “Caminos” (Spanish for “paths”) indicates the importance of finding new ways to reach goals and discover individual resources and opportunities to overcome challenges together. We focus on the development and transfer of innovative methods from other countries within the European context to Spanish entities that offer permanent services. We are currently collaborating with different organizations and institutions in Andalusia such as:
• Centro de Estudios Andaluces
• Junta de Andalusia – Andalusia Emprende Vélez-Málaga and Torre del Mar
• Municipality of Vélez-Málaga – Youth department
• Municipality of Granada – Youth department
• Municipalities in the Axarquía and Costa Tropical
• Employment Services in the Axarquía and Costa Tropical
• Málaga Acoge – Málaga and Torre del Mar
• Diputación de Granada
• Cámara de Comercio de Granada
• Guadalinfo
• Arrabal AID
• JENIR – Jóvenes empoderados de la zona norte con ideas renovadas
• ALFA – Almanjáyar en Familia
Main objectives include fostering the exchange and communication, improving individual opportunities of development, supporting the social inclusion of disadvantaged people and developing innovative methodologies in the field of training, education and social development through national and international cooperation. Due to our staff experience our main target groups are:
• Young people (professional and personal issues)
• Pupils and teachers
• Staff trainings
• Women and gender projects
• Migrants and their integration
Asociación Caminos provides experienced operating staff and board working with different targets groups in various educational and participatory settings. Actually, we are working in 15 European Erasmus+ KA2 and 1 KA3 projects and are accredited as EVS sending and hosting organisation. Andalucía is one of the European regions with the highest unemployment rates, especially of young people, with an economic structure mostly based on agriculture and tourism.

The RJ4All International Institute is a charitable NGO with a mission to advance community cohesion and redistribute power within society at the local, national and international levels. We do this by using the power of education, sports and arts as well as the practices and values of restorative justice including power-sharing, fairness, equality, dignity and respect. RJ4All is the leading European restorative justice network with members from over 40 countries. We achieve our charitable aims by:

• Carrying out educational projects and information campaigns in the interest of children and young people, communities, victims and marginalised groups.
  • Providing internships and high-quality volunteering opportunities involving social action to young people at risk of being affected by crime and other marginalised groups
  • Bringing harmed parties together through restorative justice to negotiate solutions and restore the harm experienced
  • Increasing public awareness of restorative justice, human rights and intercultural dialogue.
  • Carrying out evaluations and research on restorative justice, criminal justice, human rights and equality programmes
  • Building bridges between grass communities and the powerful, as well as acting as a learning network between practitioners, researchers, policymakers and users of the justice system
  • Increasing knowledge and pushing the boundaries of restorative justice especially in contested areas of practice (e.g. domestic violence, sexual abuse & hate crimes).
  • Making restorative justice more accessible to young people, junior researchers, students, practitioners, policymakers, the public and the media.
  • Influence international, regional and local policy, legislation and practice.
  • Providing expert, tailored and independent advice on restorative justice, human rights, equality and criminal justice.
  RJ4All is governed by a Board of non-executive directors with expertise from criminal justice and user service delivery, front-line work with marginalised groups, campaigning, academia and research (https://www.rj4all.info/our-team).

RJ4All is run by its Founder and Director, Professor Dr. Theo Gavrielides, an international expert in user-led research methods and social policy especially in the areas of restorative justice, criminal justice and human rights (see https://www.theogavrielides.com/bio). The Director is supported by an operations’ team of international experts (https://www.rj4all.info/RJ4all-team). RJ4All hosts at least 5 part-time interns on a monthly basis and engages at least 200 volunteers annually. RJ4All has received the Quality Label for the European Solidarity Corps and works in close collaboration with EURODESK UK. We are also supported by an independent Academic and Editorial Board and an International Advisory Board. Their membership includes some of the most prominent academics, researchers and practitioners in the areas that we cover. Within this Board, there is an Ethics Committee that reviews Ethics Applications when vulnerable individuals are involved in our work. Working for more than 10 years in the area of equality, community cohesion, youth and justice, we have developed numerous strong partnerships with civil society, statutory and non-statutory organizations, locally, nationally and internationally. Acting as a national and European network, we share expertise and best practice among our users, partners and networks. As a membership organization, RJ4All has over 3000 registered individuals and organisations from across the UK, Europe and overseas. We communicate with our members on a bimonthly basis via e-newsletters and blogs that are written by them and the RJ4All team. RJ4All also hosts the youth-led FRED campaign which is a pan-European initiative aiming to promote the values of Freedom Respect Equality and Dignity (see http://www.fredcampaign.org). Evidence-driven practice and social policy are important to RJ4All and thus it has in place efficient and elaborate internal and external quality control systems. Putting emphasis on the quality of our services, we are dedicated to measuring our impact on our users and the wider society. Exploiting the Theory of Change and using user-led evaluation methods, we produce high quality evidence-based outcomes that allow us to review our work and improve our approaches.

RJ4All also runs an independent, publishing arm. RJ4All Publications is an impactful publisher specialising in social sciences and the publication of cutting-edge research. We have published books on youth and justice, hate crime, human rights, gender equality, domestic violence and many more. RJ4All Publications is also the publisher of the leading international, peer-reviewed Internet Journal of Restorative Justice (IJRJ) and the Youth Voice Journal (YVJ). We work with our distributors (e.g. EBSCO, British Library) to disseminate our publications to over 200,000 institutions from around the world.