Youth Upskilling and Experience Through Social Innovation
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Youth Upskilling and Experience Through Social Innovation

Watch this lively conversation with Estefania Fernandez, a serial educational entrepreneur, youth leader and polyglot originally from Spain. After relocating to Berlin, Estefania created her “Business Model Republic” Meetup group to connect with others. This group exploded to more than 6 thousand members, and became an obvious launching point for her latest venture: e-bloom. E-bloom is an international community where young business graduates gain skills by participating in social innovation projects.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28Fe9Blbwp0[/embedyt]

 

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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

Youth Building Skills and Gaining Opportunities Through Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation
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Youth Building Skills and Gaining Opportunities Through Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation

“Nearly 90% of young people today live in low and middle-income countries.  Around 200 million adolescent people are not in education programs and 13% of young people globally are unemployed. This presents numerous challenges and hinders young people from acquiring skills which will be useful for their further development and activation in society. However social innovation presents an opportunity for young people to create their own opportunities by themselves.

The covid-19 pandemic presented a challenge in terms of peer-to-peer interaction, education, community involvement and overall engagement. The need to adapt to difficult circumstances has inspired young people to find new ways to interact, especially through ICT solutions. A study commissioned by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre named ‘ICT-enabled social innovation services for active inclusion of young people”, stresses that ICT driven social innovation for young people is focused on three main areas: education and training, active inclusion aimed at supporting young people’s entry into the labour market and youth inclusion addressing issues around social and civic participation. Many youth initiatives have done the best they could with their resources thanks to ICT solutions. Social innovation became the cornerstone to transforming youth initiatives into smart organisations.

There are numerous examples of how young people have taken the initiative and have created socially innovative solutions in many EU countries as well as globally, before, during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. We have the example of Zafer Elçik, a 24 year old from Turkey who recognised that his autistic brother was most attentive when he was using his smartphone, which gave him the inspiration for the idea of an educational Gaming app which would serve children and young people with learning difficulties and special needs in order to help them develop their cognitive skills. Otsimo, the app he developed is now helping more than 30.000 users and is downloadable for free. There are numerous European initiatives which have been pioneers in social innovation among youth, such as Capacitare, Consultoria e Negócios Lda,   Citizens in Power, Geopaideia, etc.

In this period of uncertainty, having young people collaborate and innovate along with their peers to find solutions which are socially advantageous is more important than ever. Through peer to peer collaboration they can find solace during troubling times and contribute in their community, therefore regaining a little agency in the development of their social circles as well as beyond their initial sphere of influence.

The labour market is currently governed by large industries, nevertheless it is still noticeable that entrepreneurship is becoming increasingly important. The labour market can be shaped and renewed thanks to the potential that can be brought by young social entrepreneurs and their innovative solutions. Although social entrepreneurship is an innovative concept in and by itself,  there are still areas and niches which have not been explored and have not been served. This presents an opportunity for young people not only to focus on an activity which has a positive impact on society and turn it into an enterprise, but to automatically reduce youth unemployment as well.

It is important to remind young people that before starting to develop their project or business idea they need to start by creating a solid plan and form a team of peers that can help them navigate their project. They can seek the help and consultation from civil society organisations in their vicinity, they can pitch their ideas to potential investors and therefore involve more potential partners in what they have envisioned.

There are a plethora of opportunities for young people who want to start something of their own.  One of these examples is the Erasmus programme for young entrepreneurs, thanks to which a young person can be mentored and assisted by an experienced entrepreneur in another EU country.

A network which can be of relevant importance to young people who are interested in developing their idea or in finding like-minded individuals to develop their socially innovative idea with, is the JEUNE network – The Young Entrepreneurs Organization of the European Union, which currently represents as many as over 1,660,000 young people from 20 countries who are interested in entrepreneurship. As it is the largest European-wide network of young entrepreneurs it is crucial to foster and create relations between civil society, companies as well as governments with the aim of voicing the needs for development of entrepreneurship among youth, as well as improving the opportunities for youth by creating a relevant and useful network, which is at their disposal should they need it to further their prospects.

To conclude, it is clear that young people nowadays come across many challenges in acquiring employment opportunities, and social innovation through entrepreneurship is still what can be considered a niche through which they can become active members of their communities as well as earn their living or even create employment opportunities for their peers. It is up to decision makers to help foster this and it is up to CSOs to offer guidance and partnership to those young people that wish to become social innovators in their communities. ”

by Caterina Rende Dominis

Source: https://digitalsocialinnovation.org/youth-building-skills-and-gaining-opportunities-through-entrepreneurship-and-social-innovation/

 

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This publication has been prepared  for the Social Innovation Network project and is fully consistent with INDIGISE project objectives.  The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

Young People and Social Innovation in Europe
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Young People and Social Innovation in Europe

By Ljupka Janevska.

“Social innovation is the process of developing creative ideas that will eventually ‘’grow’’ into practical solutions, which will improve the overall wellbeing of the community. The primary goal of implementing or designing a new social innovation is to solve different systemic issues that will hopefully contribute in increasing the enviorenment value. However, the basics of implementing a new social innovation can be found in the energy and passion of the young people, who are brave enough, not only to identify, but also to challenge and address global problems that are worthy of attention and investment.

In Europe, the process of youth social innovation is a growing challenge. Fortunately, there are a lot of successful social innovations in Europe that aim to raise awareness of the positive outcome that social innovations can have on young people and communities.

  • Student integration in employment

Young graduates often struggle to find their first employment experience. In Latvia, young people are almost twice as likely to be unemployed compared to the rest of the population, due to lack of a professional network and skills experience. The youth social innovation of ‘’The Demola platform’’, established in 2014 in Finland, connects companies with university students. The companies can submit a specific problem situation for students to address , and by participating in problem-solving workshops the students are developing their skills as potential problem-solvers instead of as young people in need of work experience.

  • Active youth participation in local decision-making

One of the priorities of the EU is to provide meaningful social, civic and political engagement opportunities for all young people. Young people prefer to support causes that are directly relevant to them, and they usually engage in them through alternative participation methods, such as volunteering or online support. ‘’The Youth Participatory Budgeting (YPB)’’ is a Portuguese youth social innovation that aims to foster an active participation of young people in the decision-making process, and thus promote a stronger sense of citizenship, through an online platform that serves young people’s need for democratic participation.

●     European exchange programme for young Entrepreneurs

Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs is a youth social innovation that provides ambitious young European entrepreneurs with the necessary skills to start or successfully run a small business in Europe. New entrepreneurs gather and exchange knowledge and business ideas with an experienced entrepreneur, with whom they stay and collaborate for a period of 1 to 6 months. ‘’Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs’’ is financed by the European Commission and operates across the Participating Countries with the help of the local contact points, competent in business support.

  • Youth opportunities in the economy

‘’REvive Greece’’ is an interesting social innovation in Greece that helps young people from the most vulnerable groups (unemployed Greeks, refugees, migrants, etc.). ‘’REvive’’ is a registered non-profit mission that has the goal to integrate these vulnerable, social groups into the socioeconomic system by helping them to gain skills in the IT sector.

Conclusion

All over the world in the past decades, there has been an increased interest in social innovation as a way to achieve sustainable and economic growth. Today, social innovation as a valuable practice and worldwide movement is helping to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems with new solutions such as fair trade, distance learning, mobile money transfer, restorative justice, and zero-carbon housing. But, besides solving, social innovation by understanding and identifying a problem contributes in changing people’s beliefs , perceptions and practices about social enterprises, business engagement, and philanthropy. So, the rise of social entrepreneurs and social enterprises is not only encouraging the mobilization of people in the innovation process but also providing the’’force’’ for economic growth and social equality in the enviorenment.”

 

Source: https://digitalsocialinnovation.org/young-people-and-social-innovation-in-europe/

 

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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

WEBINAR Place-based Social Innovation Through Living Labs
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WEBINAR
Place-based Social Innovation Through Living Labs

Within promising community innovation practices targeting successful adoptions within communities, Living Labs are generating more and more buzz and yet there is confusion about what they are; when to use them; and what they can help us achieve.

Take a look at this webinar to gain a clearer understanding of Livings Labs as Myriam Bérubé invites Hugo Steben (Maison de l’innovation sociale) and Jean-François Jasmin (Le Laboratoire en innovation (LLio)) to share their experiences and insights from two Québec-based organizations with an approach that yields a huge potential for transformative change.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE0gllKTukU[/embedyt]

Hugo and Jean-Francois additional audience questions

Access the Slidedeck 

Background information

Today, communities are facing an array of complex social and environmental challenges. The programs we have created to address these challenges have been unable to impact in a significant way. New solutions are required. The results that are urgently needed cannot and will not be found by simply making incremental changes to our current approaches. The breakthroughs that community changemakers seek require new approaches. Social innovation has become imperative to effectively address our society’s most significant issues.

Unfortunately, inventions are many, but innovations that are successfully adopted are few, and breakthrough innovations are disruptive in nature, sometimes leading to actions meant to solve old problems ending up generating new ones.

Thus, community innovation requires not only an appreciation of the issue one is hoping to address but also a deep understanding of the unique characteristics of the community. The place and the people within it, where the innovation will be implemented.

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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

#HaveYourSay! Scenarios towards co-creation of a transition pathway for a resilient, innovative, sustainable and digital proximity and social economy ecosystem
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#HaveYourSay! Scenarios towards co-creation of a transition pathway for a resilient, innovative, sustainable and digital proximity and social economy ecosystem

Take part in EU consultations and give your comments and input to the topic “Scenarios towards co-creation of a transition pathway for a resilient, innovative, sustainable and digital proximity and social economy ecosystem”

You have time until 28th February and all the details about the document and ways to send your comments you will find below. 

Target audience

Based on their involvement in sectors covered by the proximity & social economy ecosystem, the main stakeholders are industry, associations, social economy partners, public authorities, and other organisations.

Why we are consulting

The Commission services have prepared a staff working document to outline possible scenarios for a transition pathway towards a more resilient, green and digital Proximity and Social Economy industrial ecosystem. Through collaborative efforts, we aim to co-create concrete actions and commitments with all stakeholders of this ecosystem to step up its green and digital transition and strengthen its resilience to future shocks.

These efforts will build on the EU Industrial Strategy update that highlighted the need to accelerate the EU industry’s green and digital transitions and identified the needs and challenges of 14 industrial ecosystems.

They will also build on the Action Plan on the Social Economy, which proposes a series of actions for the 2021-2030 period to support the development of the social economy.

Based on the results of the consultation, the Commission will organise further meetings with stakeholders to deepen the discussions towards finalising the ‘proximity & social economy’ pathway during 2022.

Respond to the consultation

We invite you to participate in this process, running until 28 February 2022, by giving your input via the button below.

EU Survey questionnaire

Reference documents

Scenarios towards co-creation of a transition pathway for a more resilient, sustainable and digital Proximity and Social Economy industrial ecosystem
English
(1.47 MB – PDF)

Download

Additional information

 

This publication has been prepared within SENBS project No. 2020- 1-EE01-KA204-077999. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

 

Digital Innovation Camp: Youth and Social Entrepreneurship
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Digital Innovation Camp: Youth and Social Entrepreneurship

International Digital Innovation Camp has been organized online from 15-17th of November 2021 for young people from Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, and Norway to design and validate social entrepreneurship ideas designed by youth for solving specific challenges – loneliness and social isolation of people. The event has been scheduled for three days to introduce participants to the challenge and the context of their work, initiate brainstorming and idea conceptualization in national groups, engage mentors to provide feedback, develop their own presentation and present the solutions developed by young people. The results were more than AMAZING! <3

So what exactly has happened?

Day 1 (16.11.2021)

The event has started with the short intro from the Digital Innovation Camp organizer, Tharald Lundvall from Junior Achievement Norway. An energizer activity was organized by Even Fjellestad from UiA CoLAB.

Mini-lecture was held by Chief architect, town planner, and co-housing idea enthusiast  Michael Fuller Gee. He has introduced young people to the problems different society groups face today and the ways in which mindful city planning might solve them. He has spoken about the problem of loneliness and the inability to connect socially for those, who live alone. These problem has been clearly showcased by the Covid-19 pandemics and the rising numbers of depressions and suicides detected. There are different reasons for the single-person household trend and each case is individual. However in the future when there are twice more seniors as we have now, the consequences might not be beneficial, especially for those being unable to move on a long-distance or receive healthcare or other services due to living in distant places and having no support around.

Therefore Michael Fuller Gee has introduced his concept of co-housing and its’ principle’s implementation in the city design as a solution to the emergent problem. Co-housing allows to build communities around the living spaces and combat the feeling of isolation and loneliness among very distinct social groups and even within them. This introduction helped Innovation Camp participants to become more aware of the relation between city planning and the emotional state of its inhabitants.

After the presentation,  participants were provided with information on the context of their work. Due to the Covid restrictions and inability to meet in Kristiansand, Norway (initially planned Innovation Camp destination), the video was compiled to show around the Kristiansand and the specific venue – the Kings Center in Kristiansand. The center is an old building being restored to transform it into a co-housing for the elderly, youth, and people with physical disabilities under the same roof. Kings Center has been introduced as an object and the basis for the projects developed by Innovation Camp participants.

Later participants were divided into national groups to work on one of the assignments proposed. They were supposed to design activities and services (e.g. care services, social activities, business activities) that make the co-housing centre an attractive place to live in for:

  1. elderly people,
  2. people with physical disabilities, or
  3. students

Also, participants were supposed to explain how can their planned solutions be implemented/organized and carried out jointly by the inhabitants.

In national teams, young people started designing their ideas and discussing the possibilities.

Day 2 (16.11.2021)

During Day 2, national teams have continued to work on their project ideas. Each team had a chance to present their draft ideas to the mentors and receive a feedback for improvements. Teams have discussed the variety of ideas with mentors from Norway, Denmark and Latvia, and chosen the ones with the highest potential. After consultancy with mentors and within the teams, participants were able to conceptualize the presentations of their developed solution.

Day 3 (17.11.2021)

At Day 3, all teams made their final touches to the presentations and presented their project ideas to the jury and Innovation Camp participants. The final presentations included one team from Latvia, one team from Lithuania, 2 teams from Poland, and 2 teams from Norway. Participants were assessed by the Jury based on the following evaluation criteria: Answering the assignment, Creativity, Feasibility, and Presentation quality.

On behalf of the INDIGISE project network, we applaud and congratulate all three winning teams of the Digital Innovation Camp – Team Poland (1st place), Team Lithuania and Team Latvia (shared 2nd place).

 

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So, what solutions have been developed to ensure the King’s Center co-housing concept succeeds in delivering an inclusive social environment and emotional wellbeing to its inhabitants – youth, people with physical disabilities and youth?

Six teams of young people from Lithuania, Poland, Norway and Latvia have proposed the solutions, that has the potential to improve seniors’, youth’s and disabled peoples’ physical activity and emotional state indoors and outdoors, pointing out the opportunities to place training stations and areas around the King’s center in Kristiansand. The team from Latvia has even introduced the concept of E-sports Academy for seniors, focusing on seniors-customized and ergonomic video gaming and quality leisure time together with young gamers in a cohousing. Other ideas have introduced different concepts of spending time in a community environment by crafting and doing arts together, preparing food and sharing cafe areas, designing common communication platforms and motivation systems of volunteer and other stakeholder engagement in community life. Community gardening has also been chosen by several teams as a great idea to be introduced in a King’s community center to combat isolation, loneliness and improve life quality.

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(pictures from the presentation of Innovation Camp participants – presented by the teams from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Norway)

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The event has been developed under the INDIGISE project funded by the Erasmus+ programme. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

Kuźnia cafe from Gdańsk, Poland – pleace run by people with big hearts!
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Kuźnia cafe from Gdańsk, Poland – pleace run by people with big hearts!

 

The Kuźnia cafe belongs to the network of social companies run by the Foundation for Social Innovation. It was established in 2012 as a place of first contact with work for young people from foster care facilities and other educational institutions aiming at young people at the risk of social exclusion run by the Gdańsk Foundation for Social Innovation. Here, through work, young people gain their first experience, develop and forge their professional fate. In the coffee shop, they have the opportunity to gain the first experience in customer service and teamwork, learn discipline, organization and all those qualities that future employers require.
The Kuźnia Cafe is a place with a soul and a unique atmosphere, combining history and tradition with modernity, created in a historic arcaded house built in 1800. For many years it was neglected and abandoned, but after renovation and under the constant care of the conservator of monuments, it regained its former glory. In the cafe, there are many items related to the subject of blacksmithing and old times. The most valuable is a framed photo of the last family of blacksmiths who lived in Kuźnia.
Users of the cafe services support the professional development program of young people and contribute to the implementation of the corporate social responsibility initiative.
In addition to food products, the cafe offers a Reading Corner, Musical Evenings and the opportunity to participate in art workshops.The Kuźnia cafe also has a seasonal point called Wozownia, located in the Oruński Park in Gdańsk.
The profit from both places is re-invested in care and educational institutions – homes for children.
Foundation for Social Innovation (FIS) is one of the most important Gdansk’ actors in the area of ​​social entrepreneurship. The Foundation was established to implement social and professional activation programs in the social enterprises it creates, where the profit is re-invested in supporting young people in a difficult life situation. Social enterprises created and run by FIS are a bridge introducing young people to the labour market.

Since 2012, FIS has been running a social enterprise – the “Kuźnia” cafe in Orunia, Gdańsk. In the cafe, as mentioned above,  they serve aromatic coffee, homemade cakes, desserts, etc. They also cater to special events and support artists in organizing exhibitions inside the atmospheric Forge. A charming cafe in the smallest arcaded house in Żuławy is forging young talents. T

In 2015, FIS launched and runs the first socially responsible hotel in Poland – So Stay hotel, located at ul. Kartuska 18 in Gdańsk. We presented this initiative here: https://socialenterprisebsr.net/social-enterprises/so-stay-hotel-city-business/ In a three-star, intimate facility, they offer 17 comfortable, air-conditioned rooms, training rooms, and catering services in So Eat hotel restaurant. They prepare young people for workplaces in the hotel, i.e. cook, waiter, room service, reception service.

All pictures are from Kuźnia Caffee official Facebook profile

– https://www.facebook.com/KawiarniaKuznia 

 

Visit also their webiste: https://kawiarniakuznia.pl

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This publication has been prepared within SENBS project No. 2020- 1-EE01-KA204-077999. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

Too Good To Go app with great social impact!
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Too Good To Go app with great social impact!

From now on, all the hungry, who are not indifferent to the fate of our planet, can fight against wasting and throwing away food – the Too Good To Go application is now available in Warsaw. Its users can save products and dishes from their favorite restaurants, shops or bakeries from throwing away. Surprise packages with a meal that has not been sold on a given day at a very attractive price, you can order over 60 places in Warsaw. Soon Too Good To Go will also start cooperation with Novotel Warszawa Airport hotels or other Accor and Orbis hotels in Poland, as well as with the Polish chain of Etno Café cafés.

 

From planting a carrot to putting it on the table, not only the produce itself is wasted in food production, but also a lot of water, soil and human labor. Food waste is responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which, as is well known, has a fatal impact on the planet!

 

Among the European Union countries where Too Good To Go operates, Poland ranks third in terms of the amount of food wasted – 9 million tons of food are thrown away annually, or 236 kg per person per year! So there is no better time for the application to enter Poland.

 

Too Good To Go is an application originating in Denmark, thanks to which the food that is not sold on a given day, instead of ending up in the basket, becomes a wonderful meal surprise. Shops and restaurants offer fresh products every day, such as bread, fruit, fresh sandwiches, salads and full meals. Although each enterprise tries to sell all its portions or pieces, it is not always successful. Thus, completely fresh and good food can end up in the basket. Thanks to the Too Good To Go application, users have a chance to save by throwing away wholesome products or meals by buying them at very attractive prices! This small step and a change in human thinking can have a great impact on the planet.

 

Too Good To Go’s global CEO is Mette Lykke, who manages a team of over 300. Its mission is to inspire people to fight food waste and to live a more sustainable lifestyle. She is the founder of Endomondo, the hit app for sports fans with over 30 million users worldwide.

The picture comes from the TooGoodToGo Polish website: https://toogoodtogo.pl/pl  where you can find all the details and link to download the App directly to your mobile.

This publication has been prepared within SENBS project No. 2020- 1-EE01-KA204-077999. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

 

 

 

 

 
EU Youth Guarantee supporting unemployed youth!
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EU Youth Guarantee supporting unemployed youth!

What is the reinforced Youth Guarantee?

The reinforced Youth Guarantee is a commitment by all Member States to ensure that all young people under the age of 30 receive a good quality offer of

  • employment
  • continued education
  • apprenticeship
  • traineeship

within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving education.

All EU countries have committed to the implementation of the reinforced Youth Guarantee in a Council Recommendation of October 2020. The Recommendation is based on a Commission proposal, part of the Youth Employment Support package.

What has been achieved so far?

The Youth Guarantee has created opportunities for young people and acted as a powerful driver for structural reforms and innovation. As a result, the majority of public employment services (PES) have improved and expanded their services for young people.

In about seven years’ time, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were approximately 1.7 million fewer young people neither in employment nor in education or training (NEETs) across the EU. Youth unemployment had dropped to a record low of 14.9% by February 2020, mere weeks before pandemic-related lockdowns were put in place across the EU.

Though an improving macroeconomic context certainly played a role, evidence suggests that the Youth Guarantee had a major transformative effect. Over 24 million young people who were once registered in Youth Guarantee schemes started an offer of employment, continued education, apprenticeships and traineeships.

National Youth Guarantee implementation plans

How has the Youth Guarantee been reinforced?

As the unprecedented crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect young people disproportionally, there is overwhelming agreement on the fact that we need to act fast. The reinforced Youth Guarantee steps up the comprehensive job support available to young people across the EU, now reaching out to a broader target group of 15 to 29 year-olds.

It caters for the millions of youth at risk of unemployment unable to enter today’s labour market, without losing sight of activating the hardest-to-reach who may have been facing multiple obstacles for years. The reinforced Youth Guarantee does all this through tailored, individualised approaches; providing young people with the appropriate levels of guidance and helping them find crash courses or boot camps if upskilling proves to be necessary.

Such approaches take into account local labour market intelligence shaped by COVID-19 ramifications, acknowledging also the opportunities provided by the accelerating digital and green transitions.

EU support

The Recommendation is backed up by significant EU financing under NextGenerationEU and the long-term EU budget.

The EU provides policy support and mutual learning activities to help Member States strengthen the infrastructure and measures for the reinforced Youth Guarantee. The EU also monitors progress across Member States.

By clicking on a country in the map below, you can find your local contact point for enrolling in the reinforced Youth Guarantee, an EU initiative to ensure that all young people under 30 – whether registered with employment services or not – get a good-quality, concrete offer within four months after leaving formal education or becoming unemployed.

Alternatively, find your local contact point in this list.

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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

EU will present new Social Economy Action Plan by the end of 2021!
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EU will present new Social Economy Action Plan by the end of 2021!

The President of the Commission mandated the Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, with developing a European Action Plan for Social Economy.

The 2021 Commission Work Programme announced that the publication date for the Action Plan would be the fourth quarter of 2021. It also highlights that the Action Plan will enhance social investment, support social economy acts and social enterprises to start-up, scale-up, innovate and create jobs.

To prepare the Action Plan, citizens and stakeholders were invited (from 1 March until 26 April 2021) to give their views on the so-called roadmap on the Action Plan.

Roadmaps describe the problem to be tackled and objectives to be met, explain why EU action is needed, outline policy options and describe the main features of the consultation strategy. The feedback received can be found at the above link.

The social economy encompasses a variety of businesses, organisations and legal forms, such as non-profit associations, cooperatives, mutual societies, foundations and social enterprises. They share the feature of systematically putting people first, reinvesting most of the profit back into the organisation or a social cause, and having a participatory form of governance.

They play an important role in job creation, work integration and inclusive and sustainable growth. They operate in a large variety of economic sectors, such as social services, health care, social housing, affordable energy to the most vulnerable, recycling, retail, tourism, hospitality.

In view of its potential to address societal challenges and contribute to economic growth, the EU has launched a large number of actions to support the development of social enterprises and the social economy under the 2011 Social Business Initiative (SBI) and the 2016 Start-up and Scale-up initiative,

More recently, a number of Commission initiatives have called on the potential of social economy:

Social economy organisations also contribute to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

This publication has been prepared within SENBS project No. 2020- 1-EE01-KA204-077999. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.