The Project
The European Social Economy Network (ESEN) project aims to support social enterprises in Europe through sharing knowledge and providing high quality training.
The project is funded through Erasmus + under the Cooperation for Innovation and exchange of good practice Key Action.
Project Duration : 01.11.2019 - 30.04.2022
Objectives
The main ESEN project objectives are:
- To help build and support existing social enterprise networks and increase the interaction between them,
- To raise awareness of social enterprise as a way to create employment, reduce poverty and contribute to a better world,
- To promote the work of existing social enterprises, within the context of a social economy movement that also includes social entrepreneurs, cooperatives mutuals and ethical companies.
- To add to the body of knowledge around social enterprise including the setting up of an ESEN on-line knowledge centre that will provide training and education and help spread good practice.
Intellectual Outputs
IO1 – Transnational Report on Successful Stories and Recommendations for Social Entrepreneurship Enhancement
The first phase of the project is to carry out in depth research on existing data in order to identify best practice applied in the social enterprise sector and suggest key points for improvement and enhancement.
As the outcome of IO1 a Transnational report will be created which will focus on the real demands from social enterprises and their training needs.
The report will be written in English and executive summaries will be translated into partners' languages (PL,EL,IT) for dissemination at a national level.
Transnational Report on Successful Stories and Recommendations for Social Entrepreneurship Enhancement
IO2 - European Social Entrepreneurship Programme
The second output is one of the central activities of the project and aims to develop an integrated learning and support programme for those who already are involved with or are interested in developing or supporting social enterprise.
The ESEN programme will be based on the identified needs of social enterprises and recommendations from the findings in IO1.
IO3 – European Social Entrepreneurship Syllabus
A syllabus will be created taking a European perspective, including examples, case studies , business models and strategies from the participating countries, achieving a European impact. It will be digitalised and offered in SCORM format through the ESEN e – platform (IO4).
IO4 – European Social Entrepreneurship e-platform
The ESEN e platform will be the fundamental aspect of the project and will support the interation, sharing and exchange among all project stakeholders and will act as a comprehensive training and support system for social enterprises.
IO5 – European Social Entrepreneurship Knowledge Network
The knowledge network is the major vehicle for exploitation and dissemination activities during the project and after its funding. It will be disseminated at a European level to involve as many people related to the sector as possible.
The Pilot Training
Key parts of the developed materials will be translated into partner's languages (PL, EL, IT) and tested in a 40 hour pilot training process involving 15 participants per country.
The participants in the four countries will be drawn from people who are already involved in a social enterprise or want to start one. The facilitators will offer expertise (coaching and direct advice) to support the trainees in the development of their business or business ideas.
The services will be offered both at a distance with on line support through the e -platform and in person in group or individual meetings.
e - Platform
The ESEN e-platform will pursue the following main objectives:
- Offer an on line tool for learning, networking, sharing and interchange among social enterprises, trainers, professionals, other social economy organisations, social entrepreneurs and experts.
- Provide an advanced ad hoc designed tool for the creation and delivery of online and blended training programmes, offering a database of practices, experiences and open-access educational material that could be used within the platform.
The ESEN e-platform will be designed as an open platform including the following functions and content:
- An e-learning platform will be developed as a learning management system that allows design and conduction of online e-learning and online face to face training program (blended learning). Moreover, it will supports traditional training tools, such as questionnaires, activities, wikis, interactive lectures, etc. The ESEN Programme and Syllabus (IO2-IO3) will be digitalized and offered in SCORM format for each learning unit, including manuals, readings, videos, external links, case studies, etc.,
- An Operative Guide on how to run the ESEN Programme will be developed, which summarises Programme major elements and details in 4 languages (EN, EL, IT, PL). The operative guide will be the tool that offers the best support to social entrepreneurs, while will contain efficient consulting, coaching and mentoring methodologies. This Guide, in conjunction with the Programme and e-platform functions, will be presented to facilitators during the 3-day training in Greece and the Facilitators’ Multiplier Events,
- An online space to allow publication of relevant news, information and articles by all partners,
- Specific online forums on selected topics related to social enterprise, open to the participation of all registered users, moderated and leaded by the partners,
- The e-platform will host the Knowledge Network, established in the frame of the project (described in IO5).
Partners
DIMITRA Education & Consulting
Phone: 0030 2410 554024
E-mail: euprojects@dimitra.gr
Contact Person: Vaso ANASTASOPOULOU
Instytut Ochrony Środowiska – Państwowy Instytut Badawczy – IOŚ-PIB
Phone: +48 22 375 05 34
E-mail: p.wowkonowicz@ios.edu.pl
Contact Person: Paweł Wowkonowicz
Emphasys Centre
Phone +357 22 66 30 10
E-mail: info@emphasyscentre.com
Contact Person: Athos Charalambides
Foundation „Institute for Private Enterprise and Democracy” (IPED)
Phone + 48 22 630 98 01
E-mail: iped@kig.pl
Contact Person: Anna Szcześniak
Social Enterprise International LTD
Phone +44 845 330 8310
E-mail: info@socialenterprise.co.uk
Contact Person: Georg Hoehne
Tiber Umbria Comett Education Programme
Phone: +39 0755733102
E-mail: mbrizi@tucep.org, ctrinari@tucep.org
Contact Person: Georg Hoehne
Funding
News
Brexit, Covid and social enterprise
