From 8 to 10 November was held the first Social Mission of the project “BREED – Building community REsiliencE and sustainable Development through social economy“, which aims to strengthen the capacity and resilience of local public administrations, social enterprises and civil society organisations. The meetings, hosted by Alcamo Municipality and organised in cooperation with the Community Foundation of Agrigento and Trapani as project leader and local partner, represent the first phase of the “capacity building” programme dedicated to the development of competences of local public administrations and private organisations on the topic of social economy.
During the three days of work, 4 delegations made of public and private sector professionals coming from Greece (Municipality of Katerini), Spain (Community of Ribera Alta), Portugal (Municipality of Paredes) and Italy (Province of Trapani and Municipality of Alcamo) met to deepen, analyse and discuss good practices at local level, analyse case studies and learn from each other on the topic of social economy, with a particular focus on the key growth elements of the hosting target area: agrifood, tourism and handicrafts.
The programme of activities combined presentations of case studies from Trapani area and analysis of inclusion measures currently implemented by the municipality of Alcamo with brainstorming sessions, workshops and focus groups led by the Community Foundation and ENSIE, umbrella partner organization based in Brussels that supports at EU level several social enterprises dealing with the labour integration of disadvantaged groups.
More in detail, here is a summary of the work sessions carried out day by day with the Mission’s participants:
- Tuesday 8 November
The central theme of the first day was social inclusion. After an initial brainstorming session on the concept of social economy, participants analysed the Italian model of the Citizenship Income, a public measure dedicated to social inclusion, and compared it with models adopted in other European countries to understand and evaluate similarities and differences. - Wednesday 9 November
The 2nd day focused on social agriculture and private initiatives focused on inclusion through agrifood: after a study visit to Rosso Sera, social cooperative in Alcamo that combines agriculture and social inclusion through social farm and horticultural therapy models, participants analysed the study case of Fa Bene Sicilia project, focused on the promotion of short supply chains, sustainable development and responsible consumption through ethical and solidarity-based business models developed thanks to the opportunities opened up by digital technology. The day ended with a round table on the opportunities to be seized in the social agrifood sector. - Thursday 10 November
The last day was the turn of social enterprises. In the morning participants discovered and discussed some ‘good practices’ from the Trapani and Agrigento areas that combine business and inclusive growth by leveraging the territory’s natural and cultural heritage potential (Museo Diffuso dei 5 Sensi in Sciacca, focused on slow tourism and experiential tourism) and the trends of the so-called ‘new normal’ (Beehive Valore Sud, Trapani’s first co-working dedicated to the promotion of South Working, digitalisation and corporate welfare models that improve the work-life balance). The presentation and shared analysis of these case studies was followed by the presentation of the CoArt project, currently implemented by Alcamo Municipality to promote innovation and self-entrepreneurship of local artisans, and by a workshop on the use of new technologies in traditional artisanal sector (such as laser cutting and 3D printing) at the workstations set by CoArt at the Cittadella dei Giovani facility for free and public usage.
The day was closed by a presentation of the European Action Plan on Social Economy led by ENSIE, and by the workshop “How to combine entrepreneurship and social inclusion?” where Fondazione presented the concept of social generativity and the methodology to develop new social business models through business model canvas.
About BREED
The project BREED, Building community REsiliencE and sustainable Development through social economy (Project n° 101074094 – SMP-COSME-2021-RESILIENCE) is a project co-funded by the European Commission’s COSME programme in the framework of the Call for Proposals SMP-COSME-2021-RESILIENCE, which aims to support the resilience of the European economy in the post-pandemic era through inter-institutional cooperation, innovation and green and digital transition.
The project involves several municipalities in the Mediterranean and Southern Europe that are facing similar social and economic challenges and aims at fostering the resilience of local economic systems through capacity building of local public administrations, social organisations and civil society in the field of social economy.
Partners
- Fondazione Comunitaria di Agrigento e Trapani – Italy (coordinator)
- European Network of Social Integration Enterprises – Belgium
- Dimos Katerinis, Municipality – Greece
- Mancomunidad de La Ribera Alta, Public Authority – Spain
- Municipio de Paredes, Municipality – Portugal
- Comune di Alcamo, Municipality – Italy
Find out more
For further info visit the project page and follow us on Facebook.
Contact Mrs. Mariacristina Morsellino: m.morsellino@fcagrigentotrapani.it