"Bakardadeak" research project
The first steps were taken to tackle the challenge of loneliness through an institutional Strategy and from a cooperative and participative construction together with the reference agents of the Adinberri Ecosystem. Numerous initiatives or emerging processes were already in place –mainly from the Third Sector of Social Action– that tackled projects in the field of loneliness, but there was a lack of a common framework for action. Hariak was created with the aim of offering this strategic framework for action and bringing together all the pre-existing initiatives in the field of the prevention and/or tackling of situations of loneliness. The Bakardadeak study is also available, carried out by Matía Instituto within the framework of the Adinberri call for applications for grants. The study provided a real picture of loneliness in the territory: knowledge and evidence on which to begin to build the foundations of the future Strategy.
Driving Group
The initial Hariak Driving Group was set up in the months prior to the lockdown marked by the Covid pandemic. Despite the limitations caused by this unprecedented event, it carried out its main task online: to reflect on and establish the bases of the future strategy. In other words, to take the first steps towards the design of a basic document for the strategy. At the same time, an initial line of collaboration was opened with the town councils of Gipuzkoa to ascertain the situation of loneliness at a local level in a context of extraordinary complexity as was the case during the pandemic, which had a direct impact on people’s situations of loneliness, especially those who were older and/or more vulnerable. A questionnaire was sent to the 88 local councils in the territory with the aim of gathering information on the initiatives that local entities were undertaking in this field. It should be noted that more than 50% of the local councils replied. With all this, the first steps were taken to draw up a first territorial map with the initiatives on loneliness at local level. Finally, coinciding with the incorporation of new people to the driving group, which would give rise to the Extended Driving Group, the first draft of the Strategy's basic document was drawn up: HariakDdb.
- Bases of the Strategy
53 people
Territorial participatory process
An extensive territorial participatory process was developed to contrast, enrich and develop the basic document drawn up by the Extended Driving Group (composed of 53 people) of the Strategy and to take a new step in the mapping of initiatives around loneliness at a local level. Sessions were held in the 10 districts of Gipuzkoa with the participation of the entities and main agents concerned and more than 400 people. Of the 88 local councils in Gipuzkoa, 77 took part, as well as 98 social entities at local level, Osakidetza through 6 OSIs and 20 companies and innovation centres. There is a broad social consensus on the need to tackle this phenomenon (with a score of 9.6 out of 10) and a high evaluation of the bases of the proposed Strategy and the participatory drafting process (with 8.4 and 8.6 out of 10 respectively). With the input and knowledge extracted from the process, the first version of the Strategy was drawn up, fully within the framework of the Etorkizuna Eraikiz initiative and the Gipuzkoa 2020>2030 Agenda.
Hariak Strategic Framework
- 77 local councils
- 98 social entities
- 6 Osakidetza OSIs
- 20 companies
- 349 people
I. Action Plan
District awareness-raising process
Between the months of May and July, a wide-ranging communicative-district process was carried out for the presentation of the final version of the Hariak Strategic Framework. This process was due to the work carried out during 2021 being returned district by district with multiple entities and agents and also to the dissemination of Hariak among the citizens. An extensive intergenerational public conversation was held throughout the 10 districts of the province of Gipuzkoa in which 1549 people took part. There were 10 events (one per district) in Beasain, Tolosa, Pasaia, Donostia, Arrasate, Legazpi, Urnieta, Irun, Zarautz and Eibar. A citizens' decalogue was developed, which was joined by more than 40% of the people participating in the different activities. The design of the Strategy's 1st Action Plan (2022-2026) got underway, alongside the implementation of the strategic framework through projects derived from the calls for “Adinberri” grants or collaboration agreements with leading entities. These projects are in the field of leisure, participation, housing, urban planning, volunteering and associations, among others.
The first Christmas event, Adinberri Hariak Kantuz, was held at the Kursaal conference centre with the participation of more than 600 people (https://www.kursaal.eus/es/agenda/hariak-kantuz/).
Public conversation on loneliness
First steps and projects of the I. Strategy Action Plan
- 1549 people
Hariak hub
The #HARIAKHUB was launched. This instrument integrates the Strategy’s Technical Secretariat, the technical/expert support services for the projects that adhere to it and an Ethical Reflection Group, among others, for the execution of the 1st Action Plan (2022-2026).
The “KORALE” (“Towards a community of practice and KnOwledge on pReventing and tAckling LonelinEss and situations of loneliness from public policies”) proposal was submitted to the Interreg Europe (IE) programme. It is a project around loneliness, contextualised in the framework of the HARIAK Strategy. The aim of KORALE is to improve public policies by incorporating and/or mainstreaming the prevention and tackling of loneliness among the elderly and youth, through an exchange of experiences between European regions with different levels of awareness and incidence of the phenomenon, and a wide range of approaches.
At the end of 2023, in November, a process was launched at county level with the aim of informing about the Hariak network and detecting the intentions and needs of the agents in the territory. The process had two main objectives: on the one hand, to inform interested parties directly and personally about the latest advances made within the framework of the Hariak strategy, as well as the details of the new line of grants that will open shortly. On the other hand, the process was participatory in nature, with the aim of detecting the wishes and needs of the agents of the territory through public conversation. A total of ten sessions were held, which were attended by a total of 274 people. A total of 57 town councils or development agencies from Gipuzkoa and 81 agents were present.
In December, a second edition of the Christmas event ‘Adinberri Hariak Kantuz’ was held at the Kursaal conference centre in San Sebastian. On this occasion, a parallel meeting was held with social entities, 13 in total, which make up the ecosystem for the prevention and tackling of unwanted loneliness in Gipuzkoa. Nearly 600 people gathered to tackle unwanted loneliness in Gipuzkoa, with 140 people taking part, including choristers, musicians and artists.
District process:
Continue to build the I. Action Plan in a participatory manner
- 55 town councils and development agencies
- 77 local social entities
- 4 Osakidetza OSIs
- 20 companies
- 274 people
Call for Hariak grants
The European project KORALE was approved, in which the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, through Adinberri, is leading this Interreg Europe programme that seeks to prevent unwanted loneliness, both in youth and the elderly, from becoming a problem. Together with Adinberri, five other countries are participating in this project: Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Belgium and Portugal.
In the framework of the 1st Action Plan of the Hariak strategy, Adinberri promotes projects linked to preventing and tackling loneliness in the territory. At the same time, it is working on the development of an Observatory including a map of resources that makes these projects, as well as other initiatives linked to loneliness, both in the territory and outside it, visible and available to the public and the different agents.
They will become part of the projects of the I. Action Plan
Continue to build the I. Action Plan in a participatory manner promoting new projects:
KORALE-Interreg Europe (2024-2027)
- 2298 people (participating in projects)