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Building Back Better Through Social Entrepreneurship

Project Description
This project will equip young people in The Republic of Moldova, in Ukraine and in Georgia with the necessary skills and knowledge to set up sustainable social enterprises. In addition, participants will strengthen their employability and develop versatile entrepreneurial skills such as creativity, perseverance, teamwork, and resourcefulness. The project will support the development of a favorable ecosystem for social enterprises by preparing the youth to found/join social businesses and become proactive change-makers who will inspire and mobilize their peers. All the social enterprises will be mentored by business volunteers/social entrepreneurs and the most promising ones will receive further support, seed funding, visibility, and networking opportunities to develop and grow.
Specific Objective
This project intends to contribute to strengthening civil society in the implementing countries and to enable young leaders to be active pillars in democracy, community building and policy dialogue. It has 5 specific objectives:
1. Enhance cooperation between educational institutions, businesses, and grassroots local organizations, leading to an increase in the quality of social entrepreneurship programmes. The project also aims to improve accessibility to education and ensuring relevant skills in the labor market for young people. 2,100 young future leaders will be active pillars in democracy, community involvement and policy dialogue through social enterprise creation.
2. Improve accessibility to impact financing (philanthropic and impact investing) and investing streams by enrolling the students’ selected social start-ups in a Social Entrepreneurship Pre-Accelerator Programme and granting them seed-funding under a revolving philanthropic sustainable funding model.
3. Increase the number of young people developing social enterprises and create at least 45 social enterprises as an outcome of the programme.
4. Strengthen the European attitudes and self-perception of Eastern European youth through empowerment and mentoring.
5. Foster the transition to a greener and more digital economy to strengthen social resilience.


Expected Results
1. Country-specific programmes with social entrepreneurship curricula, adapted to the national environments (tools, methods, guidelines, activities), to support young people's education as well as to engage other stakeholders. A digital training and marketing kit on social entrepreneurship available for educators and local organisations. 2100 youth involved, 45 social enterprises created.
2. A validated online self-assessment tool (ESP) for young social entrepreneurs to measure entrepreneurial mindset and skills.
3. A Pre-Accelerator programme for after-care, providing non-financial support (technical assistance, incubation and capacity building) as well as potential access to follow-up funding and impact investors for the students that develop a social enterprise at the end of the programme.
4. A revolving funding model providing early-stage philanthropic funding to social entrepreneurs and impact students, developed into three national funding models in the implementing countries.
5. A Guidebook (white paper) on the project methodologies and impact presented to the relevant actors in the implementing countries.

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PROJECT DETAILS
Regional
Priority Area:
Subsector:
Topic:
Business, Civil society, Cross-Border Cooperation, Eastern Partnership, Education, Jobs, Local development, Skills, Youth
EaP Countries:
Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine
Project Status:
Ongoing
Start Date:
01.08.2023
End Date:
31.07.2025
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