Impuls project holders with Christian Billon (Tremplin Foundation), Nadine Muller (Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social and Solidarity Economy) and Pelagia Baxevani (Impuls/Nyuko); Credit: nyuko

On 13 December 2017, three of the six social projects from the Impuls 2016-17 programme won prizes for their innovation.

The six project holders of the Impuls 2016-17 programme held their final presentation last month in the hopes of winning over the judging committee within the allotted five-minute pitch. The committee consisted of members of the Tremplin Foundation, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social and Solidarity Economy and nyuko.

As in previous years, the Tremplin Foundation rewarded two innovative projects that showed the potential to be self-financing and that either promote social cohesion, or demonstrate a strong social or educative aspect. The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social and Solidarity Economy also awarded a prize.

This year, the Tremplin Prize, the programme’s €10,000 prize was conferred to APGS (Association for the Prevention and Management of Chronic Stress), a project that, according to Christian Billion, President of the management board at the Tremplin, targets “people who have been weakened and isolated by chronic stress, thus promoting their social inclusion and cohesion”.

The Tremplin Foundation’s “coup de coeur”, a €2,500 prize, was awarded to Et Patata. This project, developed within the “Fondation Jugend- an Drogenhëllef”, offers gratifying jobs to drug addicts, thereby encouraging meetings between the addicts and the general population. Drug users who are stabilised are given the opportunity to work, at their pace, in a food truck that sells traditional French fries.

Finally, a project in the field of education, LuxKids Lab, received a €1,000 prize from the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social and Solidarity Economy. LuxKids Lab was started by two women who are passionate about science and offers science awareness workshops for children in a playful and interactive environment. LuxKids Lab aims to engage the curiosity of children and thus promote scientific experimentation as a learning tool.

The event marks the end of the 2016-2017 edition of the programme. Applications are now open for the next session, which will be launched at the beginning of March 2018. Project holders who are interested in taking part are invited to send in their application via the Impuls website.