SE TALKS #1: Why SE?

Program

11 March 2021

Speakers:

Speakers:

• Dina Rakin, Director of Coalition for Solidarity Economy Development (Serbia)
• Irina Janevska, President of ARNO (North Macedonia)
• Ivana Stančić, Project Manager at SMART kolektiv (Serbia)
• Dr. Anita Šimundža, Coordinator at CDP “Globus” (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Moderators:

• Stefan Chichevaliev, Executive Director of the Social Entrepreneurship Observatory
• Snezana Andric, President of Young Ambassadors

Scope and Purpose

For more than a decade, various actors in the WB region have been struggling to promote the idea of social entrepreneurship as a perspective concept that will actively work to create sustainable solutions to economic, social and environmental issues.

However, the development of social entrepreneurship in the region is still in its beginning. The lack of political stability on a regional and national level has changed the focus and the priorities of the countries toward political and economic stability, neglecting the social security and the social issues that are dragged for decades. Moreover, the lack of data for the development of the sector makes it almost impossible to showcase a transparent picture of the state-of-the-art on a national level, especially about the size, activities, number, impact and other characteristics in the field.

The literature and sparse field research show that the sector in the region is characterized as small with scarce political, institutional, financial and legal support for social enterprises (Rosandic & Kusinikova, 2018; Chichevaliev, 2019; European Commission, 2020).

The purpose of the webinar is to raise awareness about social entrepreneurship and to modernize an underrepresented field that lacks information and critical discourse.

We will be discussing what is social entrepreneurship with experts working in the field. The participants will also hear why is social entrepreneurship important and learn about social enterprises in the region. At the end of the webinar Q&A session is planned for the audience.

The objectives of this webinar are:

• To raise awareness about social entrepreneurship;
• To motivate young people to get involved in businesses with values that produce social impact;
• To provide a platform for sharing information and resources;
• To create a tradition of promoting social entrepreneurship practices.