Achieving win-win situations sometimes originate from unexpected areas. The Cosiness programme is a great example of this. Linking students with elderly citizens is what they do, reducing loneliness amongst the elderly and reducing housing costs for students.
The Cosiness Programme consists of the hosting of students of higher education in the homes of seniors in the downtown Porto region. It stems from a partnership between the City Council of Porto and the Academic Federation of Porto. It aims to promote a more financially attractive solution for students looking to reside in Porto and thus promoting enrolment and their integration within the city, whilst at the same time combatting the loneliness and isolation among the elderly by allowing the students to reside in their homes providing company and helping within the home.
Since the programme began back in 2004, nearly 400 people have been involved in this social innovation project. This has not gone unnoticed since the Cosiness Programme was distinguished with the label of Initiative of High Potential of Social Entrepreneurship by the Institute of Social Entrepreneurship. Additionally, the programme received a notable mentioning in the report “This is European Social Innovation – a call for inspiring stories”. This report aimed to highlight some of the most promising innovation initiatives in order to raise awareness for social innovation across Europe.
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