Key Concepts
A first focus of the entire EU project will be on the subject of social exclusion. In this context, we refer to social exclusion as a multidimensional, dynamic process of substantial duration.
It occurs in case of denial, non-realisation or failure of one or more of the following aspects:
- citizens´ rights (civil, political, social)
- labour market/economic integration
- welfare state system
- social networks (neighbours, family, friends…)
A second focus will be on documenting and empowering cultural resources and strategies related to urban subsistence. By this term we refer to various forms of life and economic strategies, which are intrinsically connected to casual labour and/or the informal economic sector. They imply a high degree of personal flexibility and skills related to taking advantage of multiple economic resources.
Paradigmatic examples, include street vendors (who, in many cases, are migrants or refugees), former dock workers, or the survival strategies of urban homeless.