INNOVIERA

INNOVIERA Centre for Social Research, Development and Education is founded in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is a private, non-governmental organisation that aims to promote social research, development, and education. The specific objectives of INNOVIERA are the following: (1) To effectively address challenging social and environmental issues, (2) To safeguard human rights, social justice, inclusion, and equality in all of their aspects, (3) To advocate for policy changes at local, national, and international levels to address systemic issues and promote social innovation and cohesion, (4) To promote education and awareness on various issues, such as environmental protection, climate change, human rights, gender equality, and civic engagement, through workshops, campaigns, and community projects, (5) To engage in capacity-building activities to empower individuals and communities to become self-reliant and actively participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives and (6) To partner with other entities to leverage resources, expertise, and networks to achieve its objectives more effectively. Research and Innovation INNOVIERA invests in research and innovation to develop new ideas, implement new processes, and bring positive change to the social system. It contemplates designing and implementing new solutions that imply conceptual, process, behavioural and organisational change, ultimately on community development initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life for individuals and communities. Development of Educational Approaches and Digital Learning In today's rapidly evolving educational landscape, educators face the challenge of keeping up with learners' changing needs and expectations, especially with the rise of digital training. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the traditional approach to training and learning in non-formal education must evolve to meet the needs of today's learners. INNOVIERA has the know-how to develop innovative modern educational approaches that include tools and methodologies matching the always-changing training needs of youth and adult learners. INNOVIERA develops many digital tools to encourage the learning process and critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity, such as Online Courses and MOOCs, Gamification, Project-Based Learning and VR. Capacity Building Training INNOVIERA designs and implements training activities to generate new knowledge and develop individuals', organisations', and communities' skills, abilities, and resources to enhance their effectiveness, sustainability, and resilience to address current and future challenges and improve performance and achievement. Advocates to recognise the importance of non-formal education, lifelong learning, and youth work through the capacity-building approaches for youth professionals, youth, and adult trainers. Dissemination and Communication INNOVIERA fully understands the power of dissemination and communication when raising awareness and bringing comprehensive visibility to a cause. It has the know-how and skills to effectively reach stakeholders, raise awareness about activities and initiatives, mobilise support, and drive social change. INNOVIERA uses a multi-channel approach by utilising various dissemination and communication channels to reach different audiences effectively, including websites, social media, email newsletters, multimedia content such as videos and infographics and more mainstream ones such as print materials, press releases, events, webinars, and, local media relations. Sustainability INNOVIERA invests a lot in sustainability as it foresees its activities' long-term effectiveness and impact. It has established a mechanism for gathering, recording, and disseminating information and lessons gained from previous experiences, encouraging a culture of information sharing, reflections, and learning internally and with stakeholders and collaborators. Staff – Target Groups and Learners Currently, INNOVIERA has two full-time employees with extensive experience in EU Programmes, management and implementation. It already has 40 registered members with active interest in its objectives.