MOBILE SOCIAL FACILITATOR
SOCIAL INNOVATION TOURNAMENT
Status: entry for the Social Innovation Tournament, organised by the European Investment Bank, Institute
Team: Maria Hadjisoteriou, architect & academic, Mina Charalambous, Director of University of Nicosia Libraries, Georgia Christodoulou, UNIC European Documentation Centre manager,
George Kartsakas & Afra Omidi, Junior Architects
Date: 2018
Location: Rural Cyprus
Mobile SOFA is a social hub and facilitator for social inclusion for empowering individuals to enhance their quality of life by addressing the inequality problems arising from lack of access to knowledge, facilities or mobility.
The innovation of the project lies on our reaching out and physically delivering knowledge through various mediums to remote and other regions in Cyprus. It will liaise between the community, non-profit & governmental organisations, and academia to increase awareness of key information. Thereby, encouraging social interaction, regardless of age, gender, social background, ethnicity or social class.
Pulling resources from specialists will facilitate the development of a professional network of knowledge and best practices for dealing with different social problems.
Statistics
1/3 of the households in Cyprus are in rural areas
28% of the population at risk of poverty & social exclusion
7% of those aged 65 and over in Cyprus lived alone
Mobile SOFA as a Social Activator
The beneficiaries of Mobile SOFA are mainly remote village communities in Cyprus with limited access to knowledge, infrastructure or mobility. They will include individuals from different age groups, gender, social background, ethnicity and social class. Focus will be on the elderly, unemployed, foreign workers, refugees, children & youth, and women. All beneficiaries will be reached directly through activities developed by professionals and hosted in collaboration with village authorities, such as, the village council, school heads and parents organisations in each village.
A social committee will be established from the projects professional network (including government bodies, NGOs) who will establish and oversee the needs of the different communities, generation of appropriate educational material/seminars and workshops and decide the best practices for disseminating this material.
What is Mobile SOFA?
The Mobile SOFA is an adaptive van which expands upon its arrival on site. The van consists of two different pop-up structures with different functions and ambiance. One of a Lightweight Expandable Structure which acts as a canopy and the other with an Inflatable Bubble providing light and translucent enclosure.
Based on mobile libraries best practices Mobile Sofa directly delivers knowledge on-site through physical resources and utilizing its professional network. The innovative characteristic of Mobile SOFA is its mobility and flexibility of design, which easily adjusts to address different contexts and to provide appropriate services.
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