On 1-2 October, Gabija Vanagė, the head of the Design Wings project, took part in the Social Innovation Forum 2024 in Brussels (Belgium). This event is cornerstone event within the ESF+ SI+ initiative. At the invitation of the Forum's organisers, the project Design Wings was presented at the Social Innovation Msrket, where representatives of 35 initiatives specially selected for the event took part.

This year's Forum focused on social innovation and skills. Participants from all over Europe explored what skills are essential for the success of social innovators and how social innovation contributes to building these crucial skills. 

"I am delighted to have had the opportunity to showcase Design Wings as a unique social innovation practice during this forum, as well as the meaningful connections we have made with a wide range of institutions and the social initiative community. Such events are the best way to show how a single idea can grow into a social innovation, and what it means for society as a whole", says Gabija Vanagė.

Over the course of two days, more than 250 participants from ESF+ Managing Authorities, ESF+ implementing partners, organisations and projects benefiting from ESF+ funding, DG EMPL policy and geographical desk officers, the five ESF+ Communities of Practice (CoP), and the ALMA Network will actively engaged in a series of plenary sessions, workshops, and showcases highlighting promising social innovation practices from across the European Union.

One of the Forum’s highlights is the Social Innovation Match (SIM) database, which offers a unique platform for social innovators across Europe to scale up and showcase their initiatives. Social innovators were invited to nominate their best practices by uploading case studies to the Social Innovation Match platform and completing a nomination form. A total of 69 nominations were received from 19 EU countries, leading to 35 social innovators participating in the Social Innovation Forum’s Social Innovation Market, an interactive networking event.