20 Unlimited incubators for belonging, cohesion and impact: nurturing ‘what is already there’
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Sarah Prosser
Abstract
Community incubators, specifically the Norwegian ‘Unlimited’ incubators that are the focus of this chapter, are spaces typically associated with social innovation processes and products. This chapter shows that they can also be a natural home for social work and community development. Results of research undertaken in three ways – semi-structured open interviews, formal evaluation and open input from participant experience – are presented. Aggregated indicators show that Unlimited incubators support individuals and communities to achieve a stronger sense of belonging, greater cohesion and increased inclusion. In addition, they can catalyse innovative solutions to local, national and global challenges. Key to achieving such impact is having clear ambitions for the incubator around human aspects such as relationship-building, equity and mutual support, this in addition to providing tools and support to create value through establishing social enterprises. The incubators work best in a context of close public sector collaboration, co-financing for stability and a location within the neighbourhoods they strive to create well-being in.
Social work, community work and social innovation are intertwined in Unlimited incubators. It is this that gives them a unique position in Norway that could, with careful replication, have major impact on the long-term future well-being locally and more widely.
Abstract
Community incubators, specifically the Norwegian ‘Unlimited’ incubators that are the focus of this chapter, are spaces typically associated with social innovation processes and products. This chapter shows that they can also be a natural home for social work and community development. Results of research undertaken in three ways – semi-structured open interviews, formal evaluation and open input from participant experience – are presented. Aggregated indicators show that Unlimited incubators support individuals and communities to achieve a stronger sense of belonging, greater cohesion and increased inclusion. In addition, they can catalyse innovative solutions to local, national and global challenges. Key to achieving such impact is having clear ambitions for the incubator around human aspects such as relationship-building, equity and mutual support, this in addition to providing tools and support to create value through establishing social enterprises. The incubators work best in a context of close public sector collaboration, co-financing for stability and a location within the neighbourhoods they strive to create well-being in.
Social work, community work and social innovation are intertwined in Unlimited incubators. It is this that gives them a unique position in Norway that could, with careful replication, have major impact on the long-term future well-being locally and more widely.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of figures and tables x
- List of abbreviations xi
- Notes on contributors xiii
- Introduction 1
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Framing social innovation and social work
- Social work and social innovation: how the twain can meet 11
- How to change our neighbourhoods, regions and the world: using symptoms, systems and transformation as a framework for social innovation and social work 24
- Social work, social innovation, discretion and creativity: day-to-day innovation of practice 41
- Potential for social innovation in social work: applying the capability approach 54
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Examples of social innovations in social work across Europe
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Co-creation and co-production of social services: social innovation in practice
- The art of co-creation: service innovation in Europe 71
- Promoting social services innovation: regional and local examples from across Europe 84
- Co-creation in action: lessons from the CoSIE project 98
- Social innovation and service users’ involvement: enhancing the knowledge of social work 112
- Moderating processes of social innovation: insights from a case study on labour market activation 124
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Education and learning: social innovation in social work education and learning
- Regional learning networks in the social welfare domain: drivers of social innovation in social work 139
- Putting learning communities into practice: innovation of social work education 150
- Learning from innovation processes: introducing Easy Language in adult protection services 164
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Community work, community-led innovation and collective action
- The rediscovery of community: community development as social innovation 179
- Climate change from a green social work perspective: responding to a constantly evolving crisis challenging social work practice 193
- Co-creation of nature-based solutions: guidelines for citizen engagement 208
- Innovating social work practices to better address homelessness: participatory action research with community services in Italy 223
- Challenging the power status quo: paradoxes in grassroots social innovation 236
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Social entrepreneurship: inclusive and regenerative models of social business and innovation for sustainable impact
- Social entrepreneurship as social innovation: what about social work? 251
- The growing rhetoric of entrepreneurship in times of crisis: future challenges of social work in the case of Portugal 263
- Unlimited incubators for belonging, cohesion and impact: nurturing ‘what is already there’ 276
- Developing the innovative power of social work: synthesis and future directions 289
- Index 298
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of figures and tables x
- List of abbreviations xi
- Notes on contributors xiii
- Introduction 1
-
Framing social innovation and social work
- Social work and social innovation: how the twain can meet 11
- How to change our neighbourhoods, regions and the world: using symptoms, systems and transformation as a framework for social innovation and social work 24
- Social work, social innovation, discretion and creativity: day-to-day innovation of practice 41
- Potential for social innovation in social work: applying the capability approach 54
-
Examples of social innovations in social work across Europe
-
Co-creation and co-production of social services: social innovation in practice
- The art of co-creation: service innovation in Europe 71
- Promoting social services innovation: regional and local examples from across Europe 84
- Co-creation in action: lessons from the CoSIE project 98
- Social innovation and service users’ involvement: enhancing the knowledge of social work 112
- Moderating processes of social innovation: insights from a case study on labour market activation 124
-
Education and learning: social innovation in social work education and learning
- Regional learning networks in the social welfare domain: drivers of social innovation in social work 139
- Putting learning communities into practice: innovation of social work education 150
- Learning from innovation processes: introducing Easy Language in adult protection services 164
-
Community work, community-led innovation and collective action
- The rediscovery of community: community development as social innovation 179
- Climate change from a green social work perspective: responding to a constantly evolving crisis challenging social work practice 193
- Co-creation of nature-based solutions: guidelines for citizen engagement 208
- Innovating social work practices to better address homelessness: participatory action research with community services in Italy 223
- Challenging the power status quo: paradoxes in grassroots social innovation 236
-
Social entrepreneurship: inclusive and regenerative models of social business and innovation for sustainable impact
- Social entrepreneurship as social innovation: what about social work? 251
- The growing rhetoric of entrepreneurship in times of crisis: future challenges of social work in the case of Portugal 263
- Unlimited incubators for belonging, cohesion and impact: nurturing ‘what is already there’ 276
- Developing the innovative power of social work: synthesis and future directions 289
- Index 298
