A throwback at the And& Leuven Festival 2023

Leuven, the European capital of innovation, turned the spotlight on groundbreaking ideas and stories for five days during the And& festival in 2023.

A group of colleagues are brainstorming in the office.

One of the highlights was the presentation of Mezuri, a project that showcased the collaboration between Buurtwerk 't Lampeke and Kunlabora. The strength of Mezuri lies in the collaboration between organizations with shared values. Buurtwerk 't Lampeke focuses on empowering socially vulnerable individuals, while Kunlabora develops software and is committed to social engagement. Since 2018, both organizations have been working together on innovative solutions, including Mezuri.

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What is Mezuri?

Mezuri is a digital platform where bridge figures, together with the people they support, can record information in a digital diary. The platform offers various formats such as free text, achievements, setbacks, and photo stories. Everything is captured on a central timeline, enabling reflection and review. Mezuri provides qualitative insights with minimal administration and can measure the impact of support trajectories. This allows bridge figures to fully focus on the people they guide.

Bridge figures build bridges between vulnerable families and institutions such as schools, social services, and governments. They play a crucial role in promoting equal opportunities and reducing social inequality.

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Insights and analysis on the collaboration

Using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and sentiment analysis, Mezuri offers valuable insights. The platform identifies involved partners and social rights, and analyzes the sentiment of the bridge figures. A word cloud summarizes the keyterms, providing a strong starting point for conversations. These insights help improve both individual support paths and organizational strategies.

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Further expansion and recognition

After its launch within De Werf Gezinscoach, an initiative by the City of Leuven, enthusiasm for Mezuri grew. The City of Leuven and Kunlabora jointly won the ‘Smart in the City’ award from the Flemish Government, which enabled further development of Mezuri. Today, eight organizations in Leuven use the platform, and there is growing interest from other regions.

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Povigo: a new step

Mezuri laid the foundation for Povigo, an app that helps people return to work after a longabsence with the support of a job coach. The app includes features such as timelines, sentiment analysis, word clouds, and offers personalized feedback and tips. This project was developed in collaboration with Groep INTRO, APUniversity College, and IDEA Consult, and was made possible by the EuropeanSocial Fund (ESF).

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Want to know more?

Mezuri is a great example of the Leuven innovation model, rooted in the power of collaboration and inclusion: it shows how a community organization, a company, and a city can come together around a social challenge and create a success story.

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Would you like more information about Mezuri or try out the platform? Check out the Mezuri demo or contact us. We’d love to show you how we’re working on innovative solutions for your software challenges!

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