Participation to Interreg social innovation workshop and exchange with project SEMPRE
Florence 19.04.2018
The Lead Partner of project SEMPRE invited INNO-WISEs to participate to the workshop day that is inserted in a few days’ project study visit in Italy. The workshop had the aim of getting in touch with the social enterprises experience in Italy and to jointly discuss the social innovation prospective in the general framework of the Interreg programmes.
The agenda included a presentation of the project SEMPRE itself, and an introduction of the project INNO-WISEs to the partners and the other attendees. The project SEMPRE was working for the social empowerment of disadvantage groups in the Rural Areas of the partners’ countries (north of Germany, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Denmark). Afterwards a debate brought partners to discuss together the role of social enterprises in the two projects and also to share experiences and opinions on the regulation regarding the WISEs in the different countries involved (mainly Italy, Germany and Sweden).
The afternoon was dedicated to the presentation of franchising experience made by a social cooperative in Italy that has opened different hotels around Europe - employing social workers. The last part of the day was devoted to an open discussion and working group about the prospective of social innovation. The discussion starts from a short explanation of the definition of social innovation and continues with a debate on the strength and opportunities for social innovation in Interreg projects. The workshop closed with a short poem made by the words used during the day and reciprocal greetings.
PARTNERS ROLE
INNO-WISEs participants at the workshop made a double presentation of the project: the Lead Partner introduced the project, the Programme Central Europe on which it is funded and explained the main facts and structure of the project. The other partner involved, CGM, explained how the project is developing its activities and in particular the results it is reaching in the WP.T1.
Furthermore the two partners participated in the two debate discussions, explaining the experience with WISEs the project INNO-WISEs is facing. CGM also participated in the debate on the legislation that is managing the social enterprise in Italy and brought examples.
PARTNERS’ COMMENTS
Cristina Collini : "It has been an interesting exchange experience and I appreciate the initiative taken by SEMPRE Lead Partner in involving another Interreg project in their study visit to Italy. The day has been useful to open the project INNO-WISEs to other programme and project experience and to present itself; it is useful to enlarge the networking and the connection across Europe. Finally, for me, quite an outsider of the social enterprise context, discussion on social innovation has been mind-opening, and since listening to opinions from other countries and experiences is always a way to enlarge my perspective."
Stefania Folli: "For CGM Group, participation to SEMPRE workshop allowed to expand knowledge of international networks, to learn about new perspectives on cultural and social issues and approach to work and stimulate the design of news approach. The meeting was very constructive and productive."