Summer School on Social Innovation

About the Organisers

SIX SIX is a global community of over 400 individuals and organisations – including small NGOs and global firms, public agencies and academics - committed to promoting social innovation and growing the capacity of the field. Our aim is to improve the methods with which our societies find better solutions to challenges such as ageing, climate change, inequality and healthcare.

SIX was designed to fill a gap. There are some existing networks of social innovators – both groups and individuals – in particular sectors (e.g. health, environment, cities), particular fields (e.g. social entrepreneurship, policy, design), and particular countries and regions. SIX does not aim to compete with, or supplant, any of these initiatives, but rather intends to link them together to promote learning and collaboration across sectors, fields and countries.

SIX works with various partners to run its events. The 2009 Summer school is being organised by the Young Foundation, UK; TESE, Portugal; and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Portugal.

The Young Foundation

The Young Foundation combines creativity and entrepreneurship to tackle major social needs. We work on many different levels to achieve positive social change – including advocacy, research, and policy influence as well as creating new organisations and running practical projects. We work locally around our base in east London, throughout the UK, and internationally through the Social Innovation Exchange (SIX) which co‐hosts conferences and events and a website. The Foundation benefits from a long history of social research, innovation and practical action by the late Michael Young, once described as “the world’s most successful social entrepreneur” who created more than 60 ventures which address social needs – including the Open University, Tower Hamlets Summer University and the School for Social Entrepreneurs.

TESE:

TESE is a Non Governmental Organization for Development (NGOD) established under the Portuguese Law. TESE begun in 2002; its mission is to contribute to the world partnership for development (Millennium Development Objective n. 8). To achieve its goals TESE promotes the union of efforts between all economic and social players around innovative and integrated actions. TESE aims to contribute to the improvement of living conditions of populations in Portugal and in developing countries, promoting the respect for human rights.    ESF Promotes human sustainable development improving the access to services and social infrastructures, particularly to communities most in need. CF Promotes human sustainable development through the improvement of people's living conditions,   particularly of those most in need. IS Develops new and better responses to social needs in a participated and creative way, contributing for a sustainable global econony.

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation:

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is a Portuguese private institution of public utility whose statutory aims are in the fields of arts, charity, education and science. Created by a clause in Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian's will, the Foundation's statutes were approved in 1956.

The head-office is located in Lisbon. The large premises, opened in 1969, comprise the head-office itself and the museum. In addition to the areas occupied by the Foundation's management and various departments, the premises include a large auditorium, a space for temporary exhibitions, a congress area with auditoriums and other rooms, as well as a large building that houses the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and the Art Library. The entire complex is set in the Gulbenkian Park. In 1983, the Modern Art Centre, consisting of a museum and an education centre, was opened at one end of the park. The Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência is situated inside a multi-building complex in Oeiras. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation also has a delegation in the United Kingdom (UK Branch) and a centre in Paris (the Calouste Gulbenkian Cultural Centre).

The Foundation actively pursues its statutory aims in Portugal and abroad through a wide range of direct activities and grants supporting projects and programmes.

The Foundation has an orchestra and a choir that perform throughout the year within a regular season, and organises solo and collective exhibitions of work by Portuguese and foreign artists. It also organises international conferences, meetings and courses, awards subsidies and scholarships for specialist studies and doctorates in Portugal and abroad, and supports programmes and projects of a scientific, educational, artistic and social nature. Moreover, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is actively involved in publishing, especially through its programme for university textbooks. It also fosters co-operation projects with Portuguese-speaking African countries and East Timor pursuing the Millennium goals, promotes Portuguese culture abroad, and operates a programme to preserve evidence of the Portuguese presence in the world. In addition to the activities pursued in Portugal and abroad for the promotion of Portuguese culture, the Foundation supports the Armenian Diaspora worldwide in order to preserve its language and culture.

On behalf of the organising partners, we really look forward to seeing you in Lisbon in July.

Louise, SIX Coordinator

Supporters

The summer school has only been possible because of the generous support of the following organisations:

 European Year of Creativity and Innovation 

For more information, please visit:

http://criar2009.gov.pt/calendario-oficial/international-summer-school-on-social-innovation/