On 7–8 May 2026, representatives of the PLAZA project took part in a working meeting of supported consortia under the SocInoLab call, Developing Innovation Ecosystems and Creating Tools to Support Social Innovation. The event was organised by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic through the National Competence Centre for Social Innovation.
The meeting provided an opportunity for participating projects to present their activities, exchange experience and explore potential areas of cooperation among organisations working on social innovation across different regions of Slovakia.
The PLAZA consortium presented its vision of creating a platform that brings together organisations, employers, experts and public institutions with the aim of supporting the employment of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Discussions also focused on cooperation between projects and on how emerging partnerships can help address the barriers young people face when entering or remaining in the labour market.
The Association for Culture, Education and Communication (ACEC) is a partner in the PLAZA project. ACEC contributes its experience in community development, employment support, health mediation and work with marginalised communities. Within the project, ACEC focuses primarily on connecting stakeholders across regions, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange and strengthening cooperation between organisations, experts and employers.
The programme also addressed communication of social innovation, project sustainability and the development of a supportive environment for new solutions. Participants discussed how practical experience can be translated into systemic change and public policy.
For ACEC, the meeting provided an opportunity to establish new partnerships, present our experience of working with disadvantaged communities and explore ways of jointly developing practical solutions that support youth employment.
The PLAZA project is led by the Employment Agency of the Banská Bystrica Self-Governing Region in partnership with Amrop Partners, ACEC, the Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, DEKRA Development and the DEDO Foundation.
The PLAZA project is funded through the Slovakia Programme 2021–2027 under the SocInoLab call: Developing Innovation Ecosystems and Creating Tools to Support Social Innovation. The project is co-financed by the European Union and the State Budget of the Slovak Republic.
