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The Future of Europe and the Potential of Transformative Social Innovation

25 mei, 2018

DRIFT’s Flor Avelino presented the research outcomes of the TRANSIT-project at the two-day Sharing Europe Festival. What are the main messages for the future of Europe?

The European Movement is organizing the 2-day festival “Sharing Europe” on May 24-25 to gather together citizens movements from across Europe, stakeholders representing society at large, political parties, academia, business, trade unions, youth organisations, local government and environmental movements. The festival strives to be open, ‘future-oriented’ and engaging a wide range of civic networks gather in a sense of optimism and purpose to discuss and debate the future direction Europe needs to take to meet the social, economic, environmental and geopolitical challenges of our time.

The event was opened in a panel with Margareta Drzeniek (World Economic Forum), Sophie Bloemen (European Commons Network), Joanna Maycock (European Women’s Lobby),   Jan Zielonka (Professor of European Politics, Oxford University) and DRIFT’s Flor Avelino.

Flor presented research outcomes on 20 social movements across the world as studied in the TRANSIT research project and as shared in the Manifesto on Transformative Social Innovation (#TSImanifesto). Her main messages for the future of Europe were:

  • Translocal empowerment – through movements that are globally connected as well as locally rooted – is a promising response to contemporary challenges of globalisation.
  • Europe requires alternative & diverse economies: current economic systems cause (too many) contemporary ecological & social challenges.
  • Europe requires hybrid combinations of civil society, state and Social innovation should not be (mis)used as an excuse to dismantle necessary public services.
  • Europe could (and should) use its wealth and knowledge to provide conditions for making technological & social innovation more inclusive, just and sustainable, building on the Sustainable Development Goals and the Charter of Human Rights.

You can find Flors presentation slides here.

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