The Community 3.0 partnership aimed to address social inclusion gaps in SEDN by creating sustainable cooperative learning platforms to empower civil society actors and adult education organizations. In Bulgaria, efforts focused on fostering trust and transparency between residents and institutions through consistent communication and involving residents in decision-making to create a sense of ownership. In Greece, the project tackled societal stereotypes faced by Roma communities by raising awareness to combat prejudice. In Italy, collaboration with organizations ensured bottom-up initiatives were supported and sustained. In Sweden, the project aimed to improve connections between migrants and institutions by recommending the creation of a second-level organization to facilitate dialogue and draft inclusive social policies. These country-specific needs were incorporated into the MOOC development.
The partnership applied for the project because research showed that individuals living in SEDN had weaker incentives for active citizenship, higher unemployment levels, and a resulting reinforcement of social exclusion and inequality. Community 3.0 confirmed this assumption. In Bulgaria, it was demonstrated that disadvantaged neighborhoods in Sofia lack community networks capable of effectively addressing local needs. A key challenge remains the ability to mobilize local communities and establish trust-based relationships between residents and institutions. In Italy, the biggest challenges identified concern citizen involvement, specifically the lack of trust and communication with institutions. In Greece, the focus was on Dendropotamos, a neighborhood in the Municipality of Thessaloniki. This area lacks organized facilities in specific disadvantaged neighborhoods. Furthermore, the project highlighted the enormous needs of Roma populations and their communities, which led to the decision to focus on them. In Gottsunda Studiefrämjandet has been managing a community center called Kontakten, with high unemployment and exclusion rates compared to average levels in Sweden. The biggest target group for Kontakten are migrants.