ASTRA · Applying Sustainability Transition Research in Social Work tackling Major Societal Challenge of Social Inclusion

Applying Sustainability Transition Research in Social Work tackling Major Societal Challenge of Social Inclusion

The ASTRA research and training project addresses the major societal challenge of social inclusion of vulnerable groups, especially young people in precarious situations, people with a migration background and vulnerable local communities in Europe. The most promising novelty of this research is to investigate, how inputs of transdisciplinary sustainability transitions research can help to promote social inclusion. This new combination of social work and sustainability transitions research creates a new scientific research area. Such new thinking is important for the society, since it is evident that the social inclusion of the vulnerable groups cannot be effectively achieved without considering its deep interconnectivity with environmental and economic sustainability. We follow the overall scientific argument of sustainability transitions research which says that sustainable social foundation of human life can only develop in an inherent interdependence with the overall ecological boundaries and regenerative and distributive economy. The overall shared objective of the ASTRA research is to explore in 15 individual research projects of the employed early-stage researchers, how transdisciplinary inputs of sustainability transition research can provide relevant and effective new tools for social work in promoting social inclusion. The second overall scientific objective is to contribute to the new emerging research area. This means that deeper understanding of the complex interconnectivity of social inclusion and environmental, economic and social sustainability is needed. The inputs of sustainability transitions research to be investigated in the context of social work promoting social inclusion are for example: the usage of natural and built environment for human well-being, nature-based activities and sustainable models of housing and food policies (environmental sustainability), the opportunities of new economic models such as circular, social and solidarity economy (economic sustainability), ecosocial innovations, contributive and environmental justice and participation of vulnerable communities (social sustainability). Finally, the third objective of ASTRA is to provide new policy- and practice-relevant knowledge for developing the sustainability transitions of social work and policies for social inclusion. These will in turn contribute to the sustainability transition of societies, too.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз