GALASSIST - Galati Social Support Initiative

The GALASSIST pilot action is the first initiative of its kind for the Municipality of Galati, Romania, integrating social support with cultural participation. This innovative approach seeks to engage vulnerable populations—elderly residents, individuals with disabilities, and low-income families—by organizing community-driven cultural activities that promote social inclusion, community engagement, and fundraising for social services, inspired by the Integrated Social Institution of Municipality of the 18th District of Budapest “Cavalcade” programme: require a combination of mentoring, mobility, stakeholder coordination, and testing events.
The model will be co-adapted locally through stakeholder engagement and interregional exchange, then tested with direct participation of over 200 vulnerable individuals.
Key components include:
Establishing a local cooperation framework: a hybrid working group of local stakeholders (NGOs, institutions, volunteers) for designing and implementing GALASSIST,
Community Involvement: Engaging local artists, volunteers, and NGOs in organizing events and daily activities of the vulnerable individuals including direct support (help with shopping, collecting medicines, spending time together).
Fundraising through Cultural Activities: Events will include art exhibitions, performances, and the sale of handicrafts made by beneficiaries.
Active Participation of Vulnerable Groups: Providing a community platform for marginalized groups to showcase talents and integrate them into community life.
Policy Testing: Serving as a pilot model for social support policies that may be permanently integrated into the Galati Sustainable Development Strategy.
Supporting Activities for Sustaining Cultural Events: GALASSIST will also introduce new activities tailored to social inclusion, such as training courses in different fields, mobility activities and guided tours, digital and language workshops to enhance communication and integration.