For several years, Husbanken (The Norwegian State Housing Bank) and the University of South-Eastern Norway's (USN) Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Collaborative Social Innovation (SESAM) have been working together to develop new models and methods to be used when addressing social housing.
This has led the launching of a digital tool - a "learning trail" in innovation addressing social housing. The course is called "Boligsosial læringsløype".
The course is set up so that the participants themselves can click their way through the digital trail in whatever speed and direction they feel is useful. Lars U. Kobro, who is in charge of the content of the course, informs that the participants receive a digital access card when they sign up for the course. This card gives them access to the trail for 12 months. During that time they can orient themselves on a trail which has 19 "rest sites".
- The participants can work on whatever subject they like at the different rest sites for as long as they like. He lists examples of rest sites; collaborative social innovation, social entrepreneurship, "Kommune 3.0" (Municipality 3.0), service design and implementation. The rest sites offer learning material in differnent formats; videos, texts, quizzes, refleciton tasks and more. The course also has its own common room where the "trail hikers" can meet up and share experiences of learning, good examples and more.
The target group for this digital innovation trail is basically employees in the public sector of Norwegian municipalities who are responsible for addressing social issues in general, and social housing in particular. The employees at Husbanken are also a natural part of the target group. - Even if the content of this course is developed with the focus being on innovative social housing work, we believe the course contains such a potensial of learning in general that it will also suit others who work with transforming and renewing the welfare state on a local level, Kobro adds. The price for attending the course is 1500 nok.
See a presentation of the course here (in Norwegian): Boligsosial innovasjon
If you have questions regarding the course, or would like a demonstration, contact Lars U. Kobro by e-mail: kobro@usn.no or by phone: +47 90 94 25 61