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Social Entrepreneurship - Make Change Possible
Start date: Aug 1, 2015, End date: Jul 31, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

"Social Entrepreneurship - Make Change Possible" was a 2-stage project, which intended implementation of following Erasmus+ projects: 1. Training Course (TC) – "Social Entrepreneurs for development" 2. Youth Exchange (YE) - "Agents of Change" "Social Entrepreneurship - Make Change Possible" was aiming at exploring the concept of social entrepreneurship as an innovative way to solve social problems in youth work using entrepreneurial skills. Social entrepreneurship was an innovative way of civic engagement and participation, as it offered a chance to enter the public sphere and the labor market at the same time. It was an attempt to give an appropriate answer to 2 IMPORTANT ISSUES in youth field: • UNEMPLOYMENT – It is a fact, that there is a high percentage of unemployment of young people in EU countries and even more outside of it. We believe that one of the possible answers to the present issue of employability is to promote the engagement and giving the proper tools of social entrepreneurship to project participants. • SUSTAINABILITY OF NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS (NFO) – Most of youth NGOs around Europe and especially in non-EU countries are facing the problem of sustainability. Most of them are depended on grants and changing their priorities according to the priorities of foundation. In order to follow their mission organizations need permanent funding. Social entrepreneurship can be a response for this challenge, as it is the attempt to draw upon business techniques to find solutions to social problems. This concept may be applied to a variety of organizations with different sizes, aims, and beliefs, including youth organizations, that we are mostly concentrated on. 1. TRAINING COURSE – "Social Entrepreneurs for development" took place in capital city of Georgia - Tbilisi, 6-12 November, 2015 (including travel days) and brought together 24 participants (including 2 trainers, 1 facilitator and 2 support stuff) from 8 countries from different regions: Georgia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Slovakia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Albania and Palestine. The TC intended to focus on the concept of the social entrepreneurship in general with specific attention on entrepreneurial skills, leadership and management, need and problem analysis and funding and financing. Those topics were explored in the context of youth organizations and volunteering, was discussed the present conditions in each participant country and the best practices. 2. The 2nd stage - YOUTH EXCHANGE (YE) - "Agents of Change" took place in the mountain town of Georgia - Bakuriani during 8 - 16 December, 2015 (APV: 12-14 November, 2015 - Tbilisi, Georgia). It brought together 40 participants (icluding 8 leaders) from 8 countries from different regions: Georgia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Slovakia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Albania and Palestine. In the 2nd stage of the project (YE) the most motivated and active participants of the 1st stage (TC) took part, became the leaders of each country groups and were actively involved in preparation and implementation of the whole project. YE was learning by doing activity that gave participants the chance to present their project ideas, select 5 social entrepreneurial projects of common interest. The project was designed to motivate the participants and gave them tools to become entrepreneurs working towards social good. As the hosting organization from Georgia – International Center for Peace and Integration (ICPI) is working on development of the social entrepreneurial project for creating the first “Co-working Space” for young people in Georgia, the participants had the practical example and case study during the project. One group of the participants, interested in the topic, studed the development process of the concept, worked on development strategies and at the end of the project they gave the recommendations and own developed strategy to the host organization.
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