Without solidarity where would you be now? Civil society against COVID

This time last year, the health services of the Italian city of Bergamo were sinking under the burden of COVID-19, recalls EESC member Giuseppe Guerini, when the NGO Emergency stepped in to manage a field hospital set up to cope with the huge influx of patients. As we hear from medical director Oliviero Valoti, their help was providential.

This life-saving role in the crisis has earned Emergency the EESC Civil Solidarity Prize. EESC Vice-President Cillian Lohan explains the philosophy behind this one-off award while Emergency president Rossella Miccio tells us what recognition from Europe means to her organisation.

Available Languages:

Editorial

You are never too small or too big to help

Dear readers,

Wow! I am still touched by the emotion of the prize winners of our Civil Solidarity Prize this year.

I co-hosted the award ceremony on 15 February in front of a live audience of 7 500 people. The news of the recognition by the EESC of these great initiatives soon spread all over Europe.

In short

Watch the 2020 Civil Solidarity Prize ceremony

Watch the video of the award ceremony for our Civil Solidarity Prize and learn about 23 amazing projects that helped us get through the crisis.

Civil Solidarity Prize 2020 in the media

Here is a bunch of headlines which have appeared in the media to date about the Civil Solidarity Prize 2020.

New publications

All the winners in one place

The EESC has published a brochure showcasing all the winning projects from its Civil Solidarity Prize, together with a wealth of background information about the prize itself.

You can download the brochure at: https://www.eesc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/files/qe-03-21-103-en-n.pdf

 

EESC News

EMERGENCY WINS EESC CIVIL SOLIDARITY PRIZE FOR ITS CROSS-BORDER BATTLE WITH THE PANDEMIC

The Italian NGO EMERGENCY is among 23 projects from the EU and the UK that have received the award for their outstanding contribution to fighting COVID-19 and its disastrous consequences.

CHERWELL COLLECTIVE WINS THE EESC CIVIL SOLIDARITY PRIZE FOR THE UK

Cherwell Collective's "Live, Learn, Eat, Grow" is among 23 projects from the EU and the United Kingdom that have received the award for their outstanding contribution to fighting COVID-19 and its disastrous consequences.

ALISON LEARNING PLATFORM WINS EESC CIVIL SOLIDARITY PRIZE FOR IRELAND

The Irish online course providing information about coronavirus (COVID-19) in more than 70 languages is among 23 projects from the EU and the UK that have received the award for their outstanding contribution to fighting COVID-19 and its disastrous consequences.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS OF THE EESC CIVIL SOLIDARITY PRIZE 2020

Interviews with each winner are available in their respective language version of this newsletter.

DID YOU KNOW...?

Our Civil Solidarity Prize was one of a kind in many ways. Find out some surprising facts about some of our winners and the prize itself!

In the winners' words

Cherwell Collective: "My anxiety made it possible", says founder….

The dreaded prospect of food shortages hitting family and friends in the wake of the pandemic was what first drove Emily Connally to start Cherwell Collective. It turned out that a lot more people would need her help, as she explains in this interview.

Alison.com: fighting the COVID infodemic with its own weapons

Spotting a misinformation crisis in the making from the very first appearance of COVID-19, Irish-based Alison, one of the world's largest free learning platforms, decided to use its huge network of health professionals and translators to provide reliable information and education about the new coronavirus to as many people as possible. An online platform is nimbler than government, nimbler than an NGO, founder Mike Feerick tells EESC info, and this has helped Alison make a difference.