Eurodiaconia was born when two European diaconal organisations merged in 1996: Eurodiaconia and the European Federation for Diaconia, founded in 1992 following the inspiration of Lutheran Archbishop Nathan Söderblom. Back then the primary focus of Eurodiaconia was to make diaconal organisations heard by European Union institutions.
Now, Eurodiaconia has grown in to the leading network of diaconal work in Europe with members from churches, non-statutory welfare organizations and NGOs in over 22 European countries. We look to develop dialogue and partnership between members and influence and engage with the wider society. We do this to enable inclusion, care and empowerment of the most vulnerable and excluded and ensure dignity for all.
Our mission is to represent a dynamic, Europe wide community of organizations founded in the Christian faith and working in the tradition of Diaconia, who are committed to a Europe of solidarity, equality and justice.
We work for change through:
- Praxis: develop and enable membership engagement and partnerships, both internally and externally, that develop praxis and extend resources
- Advocacy: create a network of competence to impact relevant social policies at national and European level
- Identity and Values: support the development of approaches and thinking on Diaconia in Europe today
In the area of Identity and Values, Eurodiaconia’s objectives are to develop regional and European fora on Diaconia to reflect on identity and characteristics, work with partners both on an academic and a practical level in order to develop and contribute to materials and research on diaconal identity and innovation. We also provide opportunities for reflection and discussion on Diaconia and Civil Society as well as an Education Network to reflect on the training needs of staff in Diaconia and the new forms of working diaconally.
Between 2002 and 2004, Eurodiaconia’s previous Theological Working Group, reflected on the relationship between the church and diaconia. It wanted to examine how members of Eurodiaconia live and do diaconia. The fruit of these consultations and meetings is a widely circulated publication called To Be and To Do (please click on the title to download the document).
In 2008, Eurodiaconia’s Faith in Social Care Working Group, a follow up from the Theological Working Group, reacted to the need of members to be able to define and promote the values of diaconia in their work by reflecting on the specific nature of of diaconal social care. In 2010, a publication called Faith in Social Care was produced as a tool to promote further discussion on the unique identity of diaconia in social care (please click on the title to download the document).
For more information on Faith in Social Care, please visit our website or contact Heather Roy at heather.roy@eurodiaconia.org. We also have a weekly E-newsletter with news updates on diaconia, European social policy, upcoming events and member information. If you would like to register for our weekly E-newsletter, please click here.
Eurodiaconia
Rue Joseph II 166
B-1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 (0)2 234 38 60
Fax: +32 (0)2 234 38 65
office@eurodiaconia.org
www.eurodiaconia.org
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