The International Academy for Diaconia and Social Action ( interdiac ) is a non-profit educational organisation which has been established to provide new opportunities for learning. It is orientated on the needs of actual and potential partners in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. The base for the Academy is located in Český Těšín - a border town at the corner of the triangle of 3 countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Poland).

The vision of the interdiac is to promote high quality training and to support life-long learning in the wider international context. It also wants to support specific research and development projects which will strengthen diaconia and social action in the region.

The vision of learning which informs the work of the interdiac starts with the learners’ own motivation and is grounded in diaconal values. Therefore the interdiac will focus on training which emphasises:

The interdiac will develop innovative approaches to learning and training; it will be open to those who continue to work in their own places whilst studying as well as those who study full time at the interdiac. It will use local contexts as flexible learning environments. Therefore learning will be close to ‘real working life' situations and the interdiac will contribute to local and regional development.

In addition, interdiac aims to be a strong international actor in the field of diaconia and social services in the region of Central and Eastern Europe.

The founding organisations have been working with the partners in identifying the specific motivation for initiating learning and training activities in the region of Central and Eastern Europe:

New issues: For example, new phenomena such as poverty, unemployment, violence in families, street children in the streets, child poverty, the aging of the population, migration have to be solved appropriately. These problems are addressed by the professionals in diaconal and social service centres. However there is a need to develop new tools to understand the complex nature of social problems and to employ the skills needed for a multidisciplinary approach.

Methodological approaches to learning: There is a need to develop novel methodologies suited to the specific realities of different parts of the region and to utilize this know-how and analysis in training programmes. In this the partners of the Academy will play a critical role.

International cooperation: In the period up to 1989, (apart from some exceptions) there was no social service provision or diaconal work in the shape that it is known today in the eastern part of Europe. Therefore, international cooperation has been considered very important. This focused mainly on cooperation with partner organisations in the western part of Europe. Methodological and financial support were the key pillars of common cooperation. Starting in 2006, after the period of little cooperation among the Central and Eastern European countries, the ‘Vysegrad’ conference of diaconal organisations was formed. It organised events aimed at the sharing of knowledge, experience and examples of good practice. This experience, coupled with the needs analysis survey undertaken by Silesian Diaconia, has shown that mutual learning will be a big benefit for all the partners, because of similar historical and social background. A big interest in lifelong learning activities and vocational training is evident. The partnership with all the organisations involved in the interdiac so far has been developed from previous experience in multilateral or bilateral projects.

The interdiac will build up its programmes in partnership with those organisations in the region which support its aims. They form an Honorary Council which is an important element in the design and delivery of the work of the interdiac. This will ensure that the interdiac is responsive to the needs of the region.