SOCIAL ECONOMY LAB, revitalizing small towns and villages!

WHEN & WHERE?
2-8 April 2016, Alba County, Romania

WHO?
Non-Formal Education practitioners & Youth workers active in NGOs working or willing to work in the field of Social Entrepreneurship

WHY THIS PROJECT?

Migration of young people to big cities, high unemployment rates, lack of alternative solutions to the current socio-economic & environmental crisis, reduced civic engagement and participation, lack of successful and responsible entrepreneurial models are fundamental problems faced by the small towns and villages from Eastern Europe.

Taking all these into account, we consider social enterprises an alternative business model that generates a consistent positive social, environmental and economic impact on the local community, by providing employment opportunities and by bringing a social value to the goods and services produced. Therefore social entrepreneurship initiatives could be smart solutions for revitalizing the socio-economic life within small cities and for bringing back home the young generation.

Knowing that formal education rarely dares to meaningfully plunge into the field of social entrepreneurship, could NGOs and specifically youth workers perhaps bring a contribution to it? What are the most successful methods and practices used by youth workers in the development and training of social entrepreneurship? How can we transform youngsters from passive outsiders into active “actors on the local scene” of social economy? These are some of the questions to which we are looking for answers together with our partners.

AIM
Improving the competences of youth workers in youth entrepreneurial education and in approaching social entrepreneurship within their community work, as an alternative solution to social, environmental and economical problems of small towns and villages.

OBJECTIVES:
We plan to achieve our aim through:
1. Generating a better understanding among the participating youth workers regarding their in providing entrepreneurial learning and in bringing to life youngsters’ interest in social entrepreneurship;
2. Facilitating the exchange of methods, tools and practices useful in the development and support of social entrepreneurship among young people and developing participants’ skills in using them;
3. Developing a sense of responsibility among the participants regarding the different ways in which young people can actively participate in the local economy.

ACTIVITIES:
For achieving the proposed objectives, we plan to conduct the following activities:

Before the training:
Mapping of social economy business models and of educational initiatives of social entrepreneurship within partners’ countries

Main activity:
A 6 days training in Alba county (Romania). The training sessions will be carried out using non-formal education methods and activities, such as:
• Brainstorming, debate, world café, open space activities
• Tools and best practices market in the field of social economy
• Community’s sustainable resources treasure hunt
• Field visit to social economy facilities
• Open space for project design in the field of social entrepreneurship
• Co-creation activities to develop a funding formula for social business ideas
• Other methods proposed by our partners and participants

After the training:
Our participants will be encouraged and couched to conduct the following activities:
• Develop a social-entrepreneurship toolbox
• Organize at least one social entrepreneurship follow-up event in their countries (e.g. Living library with social entrepreneurs)
Other activities will be decided together with the partners in a common co-creative effort, based on the specific needs of organizations and youth workers.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES:
• 26 youth workers having improved their competences in the field of education for social entrepreneurship
• At least 2 new drafted project ideas in the field of social entrepreneurship by the end of the training
• At least one follow-up event in the field of social entrepreneurship in each participating country.

COSTS AND LOGISTICS:
The food and accommodation will be covered fully by the project’s grant. Travel costs will be reimbursed according to the conditions stated in Erasmus plus program.

PROFILE OF THE PARTICIPANTS:
1. They are Youth Workers (project writers, trainers, facilitators, etc.)
2. They are part of the staff of an NGO/educational institution, and/or very committed, closely and frequently working within an NGO/educational institution.
3. They are working or willing to work in the field of Social Entrepreneurship
4. They have a strong connection with a small town or village from their country.
5. The participants need to have the citizenship of the country of the sending organization or a residence permit.

We promote the equality of chances, so the selection of participants needs will be done based on the mentioned profile regardless of age, sex, handicap, religion, sexual orientation, skin colour, etc. No discrimination will be accepted.

APPLICATION DEADLINE for international partners: 11th of September 2015
If you are interested, please send us an e-mail (src.romania@gmail.com) with the following information:
1. Why it is important for you and your organization to participate in this training and how do you think that it will help you?
2. How would you like to contribute to this project? (In the whole life cycle of the project, starting with the design phase and writing the application OR just in the implementation phase?)
3. What are the main areas of activity of your NGO?