Innovation projects

Currently, there are fifteen projects that are funded from the innovation fund. We focus our attention on a few and describe them below:

STRO: Social Trade Game published online

The Brazilian ngo Instrodi and its Dutch partner STRO (Social Trade Organisation) have released the first version of the Social Trade Game. This game is a tool for organisations to train and coach its target groups in the use of complementary currencies for stimulating local economic development and evaluate the effects of complementary currency projects.

In the game the player has to bring a local economy to prosperity by implementing one of STRO's monetary methods with a complementary currency. You can play the game on www.socialtradegame.org and help us to improve the game by giving us feedback through our forum at http://forum.socialtradegame.org/ or by emailing to info@socialtrade.org.

For more information download summary.

SNK: Innovative dance and theatre mix by peer trainers for Indian underprivileged children

The Indian youngsters involved in this project have a background of child labour, broken families, abuse or streetlife. They received education through ‘Kinderpostzegels´ partner organisation APSA in Bangalore and were inspired by ISH Amsterdam after a youth exchange programme that was sponsored by PSO.

The Dutch ISH founders and trainers, also young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, turned ISH into one of the most successful and innovative performing groups in the Netherlands, using break dance, crumping, street dance, beat boxing, martial arts as well as in-line-skating or bike tricks in their performances.

They also visit schools for deprived youth in the Netherlands and other countries and encourage the youth to express and develop themselves, combining their own cultural heritage with whatever they feel inspired by. The APSA youth formed a dance group called W-ISH India and will be trained as peer trainers to work with local slum and disadvantaged youth in a similar way.

For more information download summary or check the SKN website.

STRO: "Apreciando lo nuestro" (appreciating what is ours)

This project promotes local economic development through a behavioural change in the investment and spending patterns of people. It raises awareness about the negative consequences that spending money outside the community implies; encouraging people to appreciate the potential of local resources.

It is also about 'coaching' individuals into discovering their own dreams and expectations, turning them into concrete projects through networking and enterprising.

"Apreciando lo nuestro" is an adaptation of the "local alchemy" approach developed by the New economics foundation (NEF) in the U.K. This project is implemented with World Vision Honduras in the province of Yoro, whose staff is trained in the tools of the "local alchemy" and "coaching" tools, increasing local capacities towards innovative approaches to local economic development in Yoro.

For more information download summary.