Towards Collaborative Practice: the eco-sustainable dimension of social innovation and entrepreneurship - Seminar with study visit and contact making elements

General description

This seminar/study visit will enable and inspire professionals and active volunteers to discover how to manage the sustainable side of social entrepreneurship, organisational management and social innovation, with a particular focus on the environmental aspect of sustainability. Through the study visits in organisations, youth movement structures, social enterprises as well as social and environmental support structures in Tel Aviv and nearby, it will create space for inspiration, exchange of best practice and development of new competences.

Recently, environmental sustainability has undergone a renewal driven by grassroots forces of activism and social change, and often needs to find a new deal with the business sector.

“Environmental challenges are interconnected and interlinked to economic activities and societal lifestyles. The operation of our economy, contained within our society…depends on our planet which has limited resources and boundaries.” (Bianchi et al 2022)

In this intersectional perspective, we believe that social innovation and entrepreneurship of young people is all about creating something meaningful for the environment and society - starting from the local impact up to the systemic change. Thus, this activity will explore how different organisations can become established as promoters of climate innovation, social justice and growth for society.  This seminar will also encourage cross-sectoral collaboration and partnership building between various fields (non-formal and formal education, private and public sectors), facilitating networking of several stakeholders to share practices and realities among them, particularly taking into account European and Israeli contexts.

The activity will explore how different organisations can become established as promoters of innovation, social justice and growth for society. It will also facilitate partnerships, create a network of several stakeholders and share practices and realities among them, particularly taking into account European and Israeli contexts.

General aims of the activity:

1. explore the policies implemented in Israel in the framework of the social entrepreneurship and social innovation eco-systems, with a special focus on the projects and initiatives related to environment protection and the use of clean technologies;

2. encourage the creation of projects and networking activities which are coherent with Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes.

Specific objectives of the activity:

1. improve the knowledge of youth entrepreneurship and of the social and environmental impact of social enterprises in Israel;

2. foster the creation of networks and cooperation among participants coming from Israel and European countries;

3. offer the opportunity to analyse and share best practices, innovative methods and tools and challenges linked to the environment ;

4. discover the wide variety of opportunities offered by the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes and the European Union and make the first steps towards new cooperation projects at national and international levels concerning the environment.

We are looking for 30 participants, professionals and active volunteers working in the areas covered by this event, willing to develop E+/ESC projects, youth workers, project managers, social entrepreneurs, from youth organisations, entities and institutions working in the framework of environmental sustainability, youth starts-ups, universities, foundations coming from the Erasmus+ Programme countries and Israel.

Implementation of the activity: the activity will be developed over 4 working days and besides testimonials and institutional inputs, it foresees field visits, in particular at organisations, incubators, innovative projects caring for the environment; get to know each other sessions and networking among participants; information session on the European youth programmes; thematic sessions and working groups on the environment and evaluation of the implemented activities.