Helpific Newsletter | March 2016
12:16:00 PM
Welcome to everyone interested in Helpific web-platform!
Community's care and simplicity of helping each other through Helpific support platform enables to offer help and people with disabilities to live their life without borders.
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| Helpific co-founder Annika Amenberg at TEDxToompea |
Helpific is successful in business model
Support platform Helpific started to test a business model. In January, a test period called Project30 started, during which people in need and their helpers, who made a monetary deal, formed 30 pairs. The results showed that on one hand, there is a number of people with special needs who wish to use paid services and on the other hand there are people who would like to offer them. Since Project30 appeared to be very successful, it was decided to continue with testing the paid services to be able to gain even more valuable feedback and information about client needs. Currently the chosen result indicators are measured weekly and the goal is to increase them every month by at least 20 percent. Everyone who wishes to subscribe or offer paid personal assistance service, please write to Helpific’s information mailbox info@helpific.com.
Social
welfare system to Estonia's success story!
On November 13th in the conference room of the Parliament of Estonia, TEDxToompea was held, with a subtitle “Breaking taboos!“. The inspiration conference was dedicated to overcoming the bottlenecks preventing the development of Estonian society. Helpific was represented by co-founder Annika Amenberg, whose ambition is to change the Estonian welfare system into a global success story – this precisely through Helpific. As a volunteer, she sees how difficult life is for many people with special needs, because ineffectively used benefits do not ensure a sufficiently dignified life. On the contrary to the situation in the social welfare system, startup-ecosystem is developing rapidly in Estonia. According to Annika, the unification of the two would contribute to solving social problems.
The sea of helping hands
On January 28th, Helpific organized a free information day in Swedbank building, the purpose of which was to introduce Helpific as a volunteer as well as a paid assistance platform, and about its future projects. People were told how to simply and flexibly be a personal helper to people with special needs – both as a volunteer and for a payment. People with special needs and their helpers shared their personal experience gained through Helpific. In discussions at the information day, it also appeared that most people offering help can help once or twice a week. Helpers said that they can mostly help in everyday activities like shopping, cleaning, and transportation but also repair works when needed. According to the people with moving difficulties, the hardest task is getting up and down the stairs.
The tour is over but life without borders continuses!
Support platform Helpific’s information tour "Life without borders" is over! Within the tour, six events were held in four towns – Paide, Haapsalu, Tallinn, and Tartu. Helpific met with representatives of employers, public sector and third sector, and organizations of people with disabilities. It was discussed how people with special needs could more successfully participate in the labour market and how dominant stigmas are affecting the promoting of employment capability, why it is rewarding to popularize volunteer activities, how modern information and communication technology favours social entrepreneurship and how to involve communities in carrying out the desired changes. For example, British Ambassador to Estonia, Chris Holtby, and Estonian Minister of Social Protection, Margus Tsahkna, were involved in discussions. Summaries can be read in the blog.
Notice
the gift, not the imperfections!
Finnish Arcada University and Tallinn University are carrying out a joint project "Developing positive attitude – success to youngsters with mental health problems in integrating to labour market". Tallinn University has also involved two major partners from Estonia: Tallinn Mental Health Center and Helpific. The purpose of the project is to change the attitude towards mental health problems, to promote social involvement, and to promote the employment of youngsters with mental health problems. In 2016-2017, Helpific will within the project, is having a media campaign "Notice
the gift, not the imperfections!".
Promoting voluntary activities among jobseekers
Since the beginning of the year 2016, Helpific, the support environment for people with special needs, is a partner with the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund offering opportunities for volunteer work to jobseekers. Volunteer work promotes finding work: it helps to prepare for work life, gives new experience, knowledge and skills, and helps to create or sustain a working habit. For the unemployed who have registered in the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, get a stipendium and transport allowance. Helpific offers versatile possibilities for self-improvement, but primarily the possibility to be a part of everyday work of a developing social enterprise and hearty and supporting colleagues. To find out your opportunities, please get in touch with us. Contacts are on Helpific’s web-page.
© Helpific
© Helpific
| Honorable interested parties of Helpific webplatform, we collect donations for webplatform future developments. You can make a contribution in form of donation to the NGO Helpific. HELPIFIC NGO* Registration code: 80380146 Bank account No EE102200221061303677 SWIFT kood/BIC: HABAEE2X SWEDBANK Explanation: Donation, webplatform * Helpific is not included in the list of non-profit associations, foundations and religious associations benefiting from income tax incentives. |
