The ENSA General Assembly 2010 took place in Madrid between the 31st of May and the 2nd of June, and in Valencia between the 3rd to the 4th of June.
The objective was to look for innovative ideas of welfare models answering the challenges of unemployment and poverty aggravated by the financial crisis and the demographic changes. Under the framework of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, the focus of the General Assembly was therefore on how to keep the momentum going after 2010, pursuing the EU 2020 target of promoting social inclusion, in particular through poverty reduction.
ENSA Members provided examples of best practices and explored together possible future projects at local, regional and European level. The main themes of the Assembly were the priorities of the Spanish presidency, the development of the youth in action funded project "Open doors" targeted on the inclusion of youth leaving in disadvantaged areas. In addition, visual Arts in hospitals were illustrated through a European collaboration exchange with "Art dans la cité".
After the General Assembly in Madrid, the ENSA members had the opportunity to contribute to a specific thematic meeting and study visit on childhood in Valencia. This meeting and study visit have been organized by the coordinators of the Child Working Group in Madrid (Valencia and West Sweden) and Valencia Welfare models to boost social inclusion in the framework of the EU 2020 strategy.