In bright sunshine, the Sempre Accelerator groups from Denmark, North Frisia and Dithmarschen met for an informative exchange in Nordermeldorf, directly at the seashore. Each group prepared typical food from their region or home country, and together we enjoyed a colourful and delicious buffet in the garden of the community centre.
The event was a part of the SEMPRE Accelerators visit scheme. The purpose of this scheme is to create awareness for common challenges that the partners share, no matter whether they are located in Estonia, Sweden, Germany or elsewhere in the Baltic Sea Region. Through these events, the participating Accelerator Teams partners aim at initiating problem solving strategies in complex settings.
Already during the meal, the groups exchanged their experiences in the Sempre Accelerators project. A colourful buzz of voices from German, Danish and English was heard and everyone tried to communicate with the other participants. One of the social start-ups participating in the visit was Hear Me Out from Denmark. The guests listened curiously to the colleagues working with mentally ill people. They talked about their work in the Accelerator Team and approached them with a great deal of sensitivity and empathy. In the course of time, podcasts have been developed, which are enjoying a growing audience. The participants process their problems here and at the same time try to encourage other people who are in a similar situation.
The groups from Dithmarschen and North Frisia also talk about their status in the Sempre Accelerator project. The single parents from Dithmarschen described, for example, how they experienced the time of the Corona-Shut down. New ideas were needed to make online exchanges possible. A case in point is a cooking event, which was launched on short notice by the start-up members. The event was entirely virtual: everyone participated from their own kitchen, yet at the same time they were able to share the evening together. The group from North Frisia told about the preparations for the foundation of the association and is happy to be able to inspire new participants for the project.
