Mária Murray Svidroňová

By Mária Murray Svidroňová

In this chapter, we look at non-profits and civil society as a transit zone for solidarity acts, social innovations and initiatives to influence social policy by means of co-creation and collaboration with government (public sector organisations). The aim is to present collaboration practices between public sector organisations, non-governmental organisation, social economy organisations and citizens, known as co-creation, with a focus on drivers and barriers of this collaboration in Slovakia. The chapter focuses on channelling solidarity produced by non-profits into social policy through co-creation. Introducing the solidarity economy approach allows us to evaluate the relationships between the government sector and non-profit organisations from a broader societal perspective including both economic and democratic dimensions.

Part of the book: Selected Aspects of Non-Profit Organisations

By Andrea Seberíni, Žaneta Lacová, Jolana Gubalová and Mária Murray Svidroňová

Since the Second World War, the war in Ukraine has led to the largest and fastest forced displacement in Europe, when millions of Ukrainians fled abroad. The European Union reacted very swiftly to this mass influx and activated the Temporary Protection Directive, granting Ukrainians special temporary protection status, including the right to work, until March 2024. Following national legislation, the Slovak Republic has provided Ukrainians with financial assistance, accommodation, medical assistance, access to its labour markets and education for their children by active participation of Slovak NGOs. The aim of this study is to examine the challenges that young Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia face. We use data collected through a qualitative research design interview based on Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Although it is currently very difficult to predict the duration and outcome of the war, we expect a proportion of Ukrainian refugees will remain in Slovakia, and the longer the war lasts, the greater the proportion of those who will settle permanently in the EU Member States. Effective labour market integration is one of the key elements of EU sustainability, as it ensures individual economic self-sufficiency and promotes civic participation in the social and cultural life of host countries.

Part of the book: Non-Governmental Organizations