Young people from the Balkan region were on a study visit of social enterprises in Italy

Between February 18.-20., 2020 the first of a series of planned activities and events for young people from the Balkan region with an interest in the development of social economy took place in the city of Turin (Italy). The study visit was organised under the framework of the “Employ yourself’’ initiative, involving organizations from 8 European countries, among which Caritas Bulgaria.

The participants – young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia, had the opportunity to learn more about some of the best examples of established and up-and-coming social businesses and initiatives in Northern Italy, as well as meet with representatives of various social enterprises and inquire first-hand about their professional challenges and successes.

Bank Intesa Sanpaolo was one of the examples of businesses that achieve their mission by supporting various social economy initiatives in the area of Turin, providing services and vital funding to various small and family-run businesses, thus aiming to strengthen historical and cultural roots by bringing together the communities in which they work.

Among many others, S-nodi and Fa Bene were other exemplary practices the participants had the chance to become familiar with. The two initiatives are closely linked to the local activities of Caritas Turin and Caritas Italy in terms of overcoming inequalities and reducing poverty, and form an important part of managing the process of collaboratively creating social innovations.

Along with the practical part, representatives of the Department of Management at the University of Turin delivered a seminar aiming to acquaint the participants in more detail with some of the more important theoretical approaches to effective entrepreneurial models and management tools in the field of social economy.

More information about the activities and details about upcoming initiatives can be found here: Newsletter No2 Employ Yourself.