-
Social innovation
Social innovations represent novel solutions and better alternatives to those available – ie. more efficient, more effective, more sustainable, fairer – that are addressing urgent social (or civil) needs while creating new social relationships or cooperation.
-
Service learning
Service learning is an educational approach that combines learning goals and community service in ways that can enhance both student growth and the common good. The teaching and learning strategy integrates meaningful community service that enrich the learning process, teach civic responsibility, and foster community engagement and sentience. It is a form of experimental education where learning occurs through a cycle of action and reflection for students who seek to achieve real objectives for the community and gain valuable experience in the context of the real world.
-
Participatory Processes
Participatory processes are specific methods employed to achieve active participation by all members of a group in a decision-making process. The approach should give equal opportunities for everybody involved. The primary goal is to create productive discussions to develop positive solutions.
-
Circular Economy
Circular economy is an economy of the future. A system in which waste becomes resource and all material and product flow becomes part of the life cycle. Products and services are designed to keep their value even at the end of its life and become secondary source. Their production and design honours and integrates principles of minimizing environmental impact. It leads to the creation of independent economies from exporting goods and raw materials. A sustainable concept that can make a significant contribution to the reduction of global warming while generating long-term profits.
-
Climate Change
Climate change is the term used to indicate changes in the Earth’s climate, which may have global or regional manifestations. At present, the issue of climate change is mainly used in connection with Global warming. Here, a distinction has to be made between the concepts of climate changes, which are of natural origin and of climate change (singular), which originates in human activity. The term “climate change” should therefore only be used in relation to the effects of human activity, which began with the start of the Industrial Revolution (approximately 1750).
-
Community
Community is an environment or group of people who, regardless of differences, are able to appreciate diversity, enabling them to interact effectively and openly and to work together to achieve common goals. The word community (from the Latin communitas, meaning community, society, but also affection, kindness, sense of society) is often used as a synonym for congregation, the opposite of the notion of society. The term community comes from a Latin and has similar meaning to the word communicare, communication – communicating.
-
Citizen engagement or civic participation
This means participation that allows for public participation at different levels leads directly and indirectly to decision-making processes that are more transparent and more effective. Civic participation allows people to see, understand, participate in decision-making, control it, and thus directly become “co-owners” of decisions that affect their lives as well. Civic participation is an effective tool for achieving the highest quality of public decisions.
