The project “Road Map of Social Enterprises”  focused on capacity building in the field of youth organizations and other actors to develop a durable, tool, a MAP, website and application for networking, knowledge exchange about social entrepreneurship with concrete examples of social enterprises and tools supporting cross-sectorial cooperation. The project was implemented from 01.04.2022 till 31.03.2024 in partnership consortium with 8 partners from North Macedonia, Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The goals of this project were:

• To develop the capacities of CSOs for using digital tools in the field of social entrepreneurship.
• To create a map as an educational tool with the aim to increase the knowledge of young people on social entrepreneurship and to raise their entrepreneurial mindset.
• To communicate the possibilities of digitalization on the social entrepreneurship development.
• Eventually for the MAP to become a tool of networking enabling representatives of the various sectors to contact each other and to work together in the framework of social entrepreneurship and addressing youth unemployment.
  

The project has included series of capacity building and mobility activities designed with aim to reach following objectives:

• To enhance capacities of 8 youth organizations to use digital tools to support engagement of young people and interaction between representatives of different sectors with the goal
• To improve the social entrepreneurial environment in participating countries by developing new tool, a MAP, enabling interaction between the representatives of different sectors, supporting learning of young people, their active engagement and entrepreneurial mindset
• To support cooperation between Programme and Partner countries representing the Western Balkan, exchanging lessons learned and setting base for future cooperation in the framework of social entrepreneurship and addressing youth unemployment
• The expected results of the project is potential impact on the participants, participating organizations, actors outside of the consortium.

The main beneficiaries of the outputs, results, and activities were young people, young people with fewer opportunities, youth worker organizations, educational institutions, and representatives from public and private labour markets. The key output, a MAP, have impacted the social entrepreneurial and youth sectors within the participating countries, as well is a showcase for other countries to implement digital tools to co-produce digital outputs and co-create solutions to a common cause in the areas of social entrepreneurship and youth unemployment.

Participants directly involved in the mobility activities have gained direct experience of working in a diverse cultural context through the project activities and co-shared digital learning environment created throughout the project. They will build their competencies in the field of social entrepreneurship, using digital tools. Participants will gain knowledge and awareness around key issues facing youth around employability, they will understand the key entrepreneurial competencies that are necessary to enter and to participate in the labour market as employers, employees, or partners. Young people, young people with fewer opportunities will become empowered, engaged and inspired by their peers and social entrepreneurial stories. They will become equipped with information on the opportunities in the fields of social entrepreneurship, development of employability competencies, and international youth field. Youth workers, leaders, staff of the organizations will become more capable of responding to the needs and interests of their target groups, communities, designing and implementing quality youth activities, increasing the entrepreneurial spirit of young people, promoting social entrepreneurship, and contributing to creating a supportive social entrepreneurial environment.

The project culminated in the creation of an interactive MAP that has significantly impacted participating organizations, young people, social enterpreneurs and relevant public institutions. This project improved networking and collaboration, raised awareness and suppoted strategic growth in the social economy. Participating organizations now have a comprehensive database of social enterprises, enhancing their decision - making and strategic planning capabilities. The project also fostered cross-border cooperation and exchange of best practices, raising their visibility and role in local and regional contexts. Young participants improved their communication skills and digital literacy, with many gaining an enterpreneurial mindset. Social enterprises benefited from increased awareness and networking opportunities, strenghtnening the social economy ecosystem. Public institutions, including local and national decision - makers, educational institutions and think tanks, gained valuable insights for economic and social planning, ehnancing their engagement with social enterprises and supporting research efforts. 

The following activities were implemented to ahieve the above - mentioned objectives of the project: 

1. Kick - off meeting [Skopje, North Macedonia | 25-27.05.2022 ]:

The kick-off meeting was held in Skopje from May 25 - 27, 2022. It was created an activity plan during the meeting, it were reviewed the roles and duties of the partners and it were discussed the implementation procedrue. The project team developed monitoring, assesment and communication systems. 

2. Training course 1 [Krusevo, North Macedonia | 24-30.11.2022 ]:

27 participants (staff of participating organizations, youth workers, leaders responsible to deisgn and delvier activities in the field of social enterpreneurship and youth unemployment) were working 7 days on key focus of learning and increasing capacities to actively use a variety of digital tools at their work with young people, young people with fewer opportunities in their communities. 

3. The online learning phase [1.10.2022 - 31.03.2023]: 

before and after the first mobility activity the selected participants were involved on the online learning phase. 

4. Research Phase [1.06.2022 - 31.03.2021]:

The research process included 20 focus groups in all 8 countries with 157 participants that lasted over 578 hours in total. There were also 78 deep interviews done with relevant individuals in the field of social enterpreneurship. The questionnaires had over 1600 respondents, which were made and distributed online, using digital tools and had a total of ten standardised questions. The research report is avalaible as a public resource to all parties who are interested. 

5. Design Phase of the MAP OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISES

The design and development of the MAP was a collaborative effort by a project team of digital tool experts. The MAP was thoughtfully structured to enhance user experience and functionality, focusing on the geographical distribution of social enterprises and integrating networking and chat features beneficial for both users and enterprises. 

6. Mid-term meeting [Belgrade, Serbia | 13.05.2023-15.05.2023]:

The meeting gathered representatives of all partners and facilitated fruitfull discussions that focused on the review of achievements and challenges encountered in the project's implemented activities. Additionally, the agenda included a detailed examination of forthcoming steps and an updated timeline, which was reflected only in postponing of dates of the next coming events. 

7. Training course 2 [Skopje, North Macedonia | 25-31.05.2023]:

The event was focused on increasing the capacities of the representatives of the organizations with a focus on comminunication and promotion of the social enterprises in the regional context. 

8. The second online learning phase [March - September 2023]: 

During the online learning phase of the TC focused on the promotion and communication for social enterpreneurship, participants engaged deeply with digital content designed to enhance their marketing skills and strategic outreach efforts. 

9. International Multiplier Event [07.02.2024 - 09.02.2024]

The International Multiplier Event dedicated to the promotion of the digital tool for social enterprises brought over 90 participants from various sectors, including 40 international and more than 50 national participants. The event featured impactful sessions with experienced experts in the field who shared valuable insights on the development and benefits of the newly developed digital map od social enterprises. 

10. National Multiplier Events [February - March 2024]

8 national multiplier events took place around the region for presentation of the new digital tool MAP of social enterprises. 

The project was implemented by Youth Alliance - Krusevo in partnership with IDEA [Bulgaria], Coalition for Solidarity Economy Development [Serbia], Enterprise Development Agency [Bosnia and Herzegovina], Student Business Center [Montenegro], Youth for Social Changes [Albania], Balkan Green Foundation [Kosovo] and Association of Active Youths of Florina [Greece]. The project was co-financed by the Erasmus Plus Programme of the European Commission.