The project develops new models and activities for civic participation and strengthens the cooperation between civil society organisations and the third sector.

In Satakunta region - 235 000 inhabitants, in western part of Finland – there are 90 third sector associations in the field of social services and health care. Diaconia University of Applied Sciences, Diak West, Pori Unit, has started an innovative co-operation to develop the work carried out by the third sector associations. The students of Diak will take part in voluntary work and also do their placements in the third sector bodies, which also offer career opportunities for Diak graduates, in particular for socionoms and nurses.

• to create co-operation between the public sector and the third sector in the field of social services and health care
• to create opportunities for networking within the third sector – by networking the overlap in service production can be diminished, and the selection of services can be improved
• to raise citizens' awareness of the third sector bodies as social actors
• recruiting people to voluntary work
• to produce evaluation studies in order to provide information about the impact of civic activities and the implementation of the project

• to start mutual co-operation with an association and an educational institution in social services and health care sector
• to compare working methods in the third sector in social services and health care sector
• to explore new methods
• to collect data/knowledge

This project is directed to citizens, professional workers, students, enterprises and associations in the social services and health care sector