Active Social Entrepreneurs

Social entrepreneurship (SE) represents a crucial role in tackling social, economic, and environmental challenges. SE often provide innovative solutions to issues such as poverty, inequality, unemployment, and climate change, targeting specific local needs that the market and public sector may not fully address. This has been recoginzed also on an EU level, as for example in European Commission's Social Business Initiative and other documents. Unlike national governments or the EU, which have developed comprehensive strategies (e.g., the European Social Economy Action Plan), many local authorities do not have similar support to foster social entrepreneurship, nor recognize its importance . This gap is highlighted in the EU’s Urban Agenda, which calls for stronger local-level policy in this area. Another needs are calling for increased level of awareness, capacity building and need for scaling solutions among others. ActSEnt and its well-balanced partnership addressed these needs.

ActSEnt aimed at increase of SE support from a bottom-up perspective, involving municipalities and other local actors. There were several objectives to be achieved: 1. To promote social entrepreneurship among young people and local governments’ structures and create connections within the ecosystem 2. To increase social entrepreneurship skills among young people through tailored trainings, developed and implemented in close cooperation with municipalities, 3. To improve readiness and response of municipalities towards social entrepreneurship initiatives 4. To achieve sustainability of project and its outputs through provision of replicable methodology and possible local and regional policy reforms All objectives above have been addressed by ActSEnt, especially through development of SE Guide for Municipalities, SE Training Toolkit, training delivery for young aspiring entrepreneurs and creation of Policy recommendation and Action plans.

The project consisted of 7 Key Activities (KAs): KA1: Regional Analysis and Common Framework For KA1, the partnership collaboratively defined the structure and approach for developing the regional analysis. It was decided to examine social entrepreneurship (SE) in each partner country from both a national perspective (including historical context and SE definitions) and a regional/local perspective (ecosystem mapping of enterprises and initiatives, municipal and educational approaches to SE, challenges, and development potential). The analysis covered the following regions: Municipal District Brno-střed (CZ), West-Transdanubia region, Szombathely (HU), Vienna region (AT), Municipal District Bratislava-Old Town (SK), and Emilia Romagna (IT). Data was gathered through research and direct contact with local stakeholders. Based on these regional analyses, a Common Framework was jointly developed to identify intersecting challenges, serving as a foundation for further activities. All partners contributed to this process. KA2: Methodology and Training Material Development KA2 involved the collaborative development of a methodology and training materials on SE, building on the Common Framework from KA1. The aim was to create a user-friendly guide for implementing SE training in municipalities and regions, ensuring its scalability and adaptability. The partnership agreed to use a Design Thinking approach and the Social Business Canvas as core components of the training. Additionally, KA2 included developing the ActSEnt website/platform to provide project and SE information. All partners contributed through feedback, input, and translations. KA3: Train the Mentors KA3 focused on setting common criteria for mentor selection, resulting in the choice of 10 suitable candidates (2 per partner). A draft course structure was created mainly by IPAD and ipcenter, with the partnership providing feedback to finalize the agenda. Mentor training took place in June 2023 through online workshops, closely tied to developing the ActSEnt training materials. Each partner required one mentor for training delivery. Trainings were delivered in various formats (online, in-person, or hybrid) depending on participant preferences, combining workshops with individual mentoring. KA4: ActSEnt Social Entrepreneurship Trainings Based on the KA2 methodology, ActSEnt trainings were conducted by mentors across all partner regions during the following periods: Italy: November-December 2023, February-March 2024 Hungary: February-March 2024 (twice) Austria: March-May 2024, April-May 2024 Slovakia: March 2024, April-June 2024 Czech Republic: March 2024, April-May 2024 Each training cycle consisted of 16 hours of workshops and up to 4 hours of individual mentoring per participant. Before implementation, a preparatory phase involved scanning and selecting participants under 30 years old who were committed to the training. Partners shared progress, lessons learned, and methodology updates throughout this phase. KA5: Regional Multiplication Events KA5 involved organizing five multiplication events to spread information on SE Methodology and the Training Toolkit to key stakeholders: Italy: October 5, 2023, and June 7, 2024 Austria: October 12, 2023 Hungary: May 21, 2024 Czech Republic: January 19, 2024 Events were held online or in person, depending on partner preferences. KA6: Policy Recommendation and Action Plan Partners collaboratively outlined the structure for the Policy Recommendation Paper and Action Plan, providing region-specific input gathered from the KA1 regional analysis and additional stakeholder communication. Development was discussed at transnational meetings, and each partner was responsible for translating and finalizing the document in their national language. The aim is to support the sustainability of ActSEnt results and integrate SE activities into local and regional policies, serving as a model for other municipalities. KA7: Management, Publicity, Dissemination Project management activities focused on effective coordination, communication, monitoring, and implementation of all KAs. This included general administration, planning, monitoring, and dissemination efforts. Further details on activities and expenses are covered in the Project Management and Implementation grant section.

Within KA1: ActSEnt Regional Analysis: This document provides an overview of the historical context, definition of social entrepreneurship (SE), and regional/local perspectives, including ecosystem mapping of enterprises and initiatives, municipal and educational approaches to SE, challenges, and development potential for each partner region. Co-created by the partnership, the analysis draws on research and stakeholder engagement, serving as a foundation for subsequent project outputs. The regions analyzed include the Municipal District Brno-střed (CZ), West-Transdanubia region, Szombathely (HU), Vienna region (AT), Municipal District Bratislava - old town (SK), and Emilia Romagna (IT), with information gathered from research and local stakeholder interactions. ActSEnt Common Framework: This document consolidates the regional analysis findings, highlighting common challenges and intersecting areas. Developed under MEPCO's lead, it serves as the basis for creating the ActSEnt Social Entrepreneurship Training Toolkit, the ActSEnt Social Entrepreneurship Guide for Municipalities, and the Policy Recommendation and Action Plan. Within KA2: ActSEnt Social Entrepreneurship Training Toolkit: A resource set designed for mentors, teachers, trainers, and other stakeholders to deliver social entrepreneurship training. Co-developed by the ActSEnt partners, it was tested and validated through the ActSEnt courses in each region. ActSEnt Social Entrepreneurship Guide for Municipalities: A blueprint for municipalities on effectively implementing SE training courses and supporting social entrepreneurship more broadly. Co-created by the partnership using research, stakeholder engagement, and the Common Framework (KA1). ActSEnt Platform: A web platform for communication, best practices, and lessons learned. It features an internal project section for gathering contacts and an external section for disseminating project results to other municipalities and stakeholders. Co-developed by ActSEnt partners, it is regularly updated and includes sections like Home, Social Entrepreneurship, Methodology, Social Ideas, and Contact. Within KA3: ActSEnt Train the Trainers Course Structure: An outline for a scalable 3-day online/in-person course. Methodology for Mentor Recruitment Process: Guidelines for defining mentor requirements, roles, recruitment, training approaches, and follow-up activities. Co-developed by the partnership and integrated into the ActSEnt Social Entrepreneurship Guide for Municipalities. Within KA4: 103 Social Business Ideas Developed: Created by young aspiring entrepreneurs participating in the ActSEnt course, these ideas are outlined using the Social Business Canvas Model. The ideas are distributed across the partnership regions as follows: Italy: 16 Hungary: 20 Austria: 28 Slovakia: 18 Czech Republic: 21 Within KA6: Policy Recommendation and Action Plan: A set of regional documents outlining steps to support SE from a policy perspective, including: Policy Recommendation and Action Plan for Brno Region Policy Recommendation and Action Plan for Bratislava Region Policy Recommendation and Action Plan for Vienna Region Policy Recommendation and Action Plan for West-Transdanubia Region Policy Recommendation and Action Plan for Emilia Romagna Region Co-created by the partnership with a common structure and framework, and finalized by individual partners to reflect regional specifics and translations.