Vernetzung "Ausgrenzung durch Bildung bekämpfen"

As a Caritas association, we are increasingly looking for contemporary answers to important issues such as combating poverty, social justice and demographics. This involves ensuring the high quality level of our services as well as continuous training and further education of both full-time and voluntary employees. In order to further develop innovative ideas and effective educational measures, the regular exchange and European networking are needed. Caritas associations have various country-specific experiences in their adult education activities, which largely complement each other. In Germany, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic, various forms of Caritas adult education have developed that can serve as a model for actors from other countries. By exchanging specialist knowledge and best practices, partner organizations and their full-time as well as voluntary employees have been able to make their work more diverse and to improve the work quality. The further development of social services provided by civil society organizations contributes to the implementation of both the social dimension of the EU and the European Pillar of Social Rights.

In the framework of the implementation of the project, the network "Combating Exclusion through Education" was to be created. In this network, four Caritas associations from Hildesheim (DE), Linz (AT), Krakow (PL) and Prague (CZ) and the associated organizations were to exchange ideas about ways out of poverty and exclusion through adult education. The project thus focuses on adult education, but also makes a contribution to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

The following activities were carried out in the framework of the project: - Preparatory meeting on May 4th-7th, 2022 in Hildesheim - Four round tables: September 14th-17th, 2022 in Hildesheim, February 8th-11th, 2023 in Linz, May 24th-27th, 2023 in Prague and September 20th-23rd, 2023 in Krakow - Final meeting on February 14th-17th, 2024 in Hildesheim - Creation of a booklet with project results and best practices in PDF format - Signing of the joint declaration by all project partners and founding of the Godehard Network "Combating exclusion through education". This network is open to membership of other organizations across Europe that deal with the issue of combating poverty and social exclusion.

- Establishment of the Godehard Network and signing of the Godehard Declaration, which strengthened the cooperation between the project partners, - Expansion of the skills of full-time and voluntary employees in all participating project organizations and associated organizations, - Development of innovative projects and educational offers by participants in the project, - Improvement of the situation of people affected or threatened by poverty and social exclusion in the geographical areas of activity of the project partners - Deepening the European awareness of full-time and voluntary employees - Innovative activities from the project partners, e.g.: Establishment by Caritas Upper Austria of an energy advice service for people affected by the energy crisis based on the model of the energy advice service of the Caritas Association Hildesheim; innovative concepts of support and accompaniment of refugees from Ukraine through exchange between Caritas Archdiocese of Krakow and Caritas Archdiocese Prague; Implementation by other project partners of the innovative concept “Spiżarnia” (“Pantry”) of the Caritas Archdiocese Krakow (strengthening the skills of people in need in the areas of healthy nutrition and rational housekeeping)