Welcoming Entrepreneurship: Creating Alternative Narratives

<< Background >>WE CAN aimed at using social innovation for economic and social integration of migrant population. The main target of the project were unemployed migrants who would be activated and stimulated to use their skills and ideas to either start a social enterprise or to act as gatekeepers, by playing the role of community navigators. In either case, the reason was to unlock opportunities for meaningful inclusion to happen, by tapping into the transformative power of adult learning and into the collaborative support networks both at a local and at an international level. To unlock opportunities for meaningful inclusion and achieve social innovation the methodology applied in the project was as follows: Providing collaborative support networks through an international multi-stakeholder platform to share experiences, information and best practices in terms of socio-economic inclusion for migrants, paying special attention to migrant women and local multistakeholders platforms for coaching, mentoring, activities focused on market gap analysis. << Objectives >>By implementing the project WE-CAN we aimed to encourage the inclusion of migrants through social entrepreneurship and community development through tailored social innovation training and mentoring, developed thanks to a collaboration between stakeholders and experts from different sectors and countries. In particular, the specific objectives (SOs) were:To share experiences, information and best practices on socioeconomic inclusion for migrants. To achieve these specific objectives, the following activities were carried out under We Can:- establishing local multi-stakeholder platforms- the development and implementation of an activation program- the development and implementation of a training program for social entrepreneurs- the development and implementation of a training program for community navigatorsBy implementing these activities We Can aimed to maximise the use of available socio-economic opportunities for migrants and create new ones. << Implementation >>During the project period of We Can we implemented activities for the preparation phase, for projectmanagement and implementation, dissemination and for sustainability. The activities implemented are listed and described below for each component.Implemented activities preparation Prior to the implementation of the initial project activities and objectives to be carried out and reached there was a preparation phase. From the moment Solid Road signed the Grant Agreement Solid Road started to coordinate the activities of the preparation phase. Solid Road implemented in the preparation phase the following activities: •Preparation and signature of the consortium agreements.•Designing and full set up of the project collaboration platform (google drive, platform for online meetings). •Designing of roles and responsibilities within the consortium.•Designing templates for financial and technical reporting.•Creation of a project team of each partner•Identification of risks and design and planning of mitigation measures.•Preparation and organizing of the kick-off meeting (TPM) in September 2022 including agenda and content to be delivered. •Writing of a description of the project We Can to be used as content for social media and for the websites (landing pages) of each partner.•Designing a Quality Plan and terms of reference for the project evaluation. •Designing a draft of the dissemination and communication plan, with a particular attention to the division of tasks and responsibilities in the design and production of all communication items and materials. Implemented activities Projectmanagement and implementationThe overall objective of projectmanagement and implementation was to provide an efficient coordination and sound management of the single actions and activities in order to achieve the project's goals and objectives within the budget and time limits, and with the impact envisaged. For projectmanagement and implementation we implemented the following activities:•Online project meetings with the partners for monitoring the contribution of the partners and organising and coordination of all projectactivities.•Transnational project meetings: Kick-off meeting, 1st Project meeting, Final Project meeting (combined with 2nd international workshop).•Implementing a monitoring system for monitoring the contribution of the partners. (Monitoring System: online project meetings and communication via e- mail. Each partner had his own task. Solid Road acted as project's coordinator ensuring that the contribution of the partners was in accordance with the agreements in the project plan and the described project activities. Solid Road organized and lead online project meetings to monitor project progress review, monitored the work that had been carried out, reviewed the progress and results, registered and applied changes to the work plan and time planning. After each online project meeting Solid Road sent an e-mail to all project partners with a do-list and deadlines to all partners when activities had to be done. Solid Road is monitored if the partners were carrying out their activities according to the deadlines. At the beginning of every online project meeting each partner reported what he or she had done during the past period and how she or he had contributed to the project activities).•Developing a matrix for the stakeholders mapping.•Designing collaboration letters for the stakeholders.•Stakeholders mapping: This action aimed at identifying all stakeholders active in the field of integration initiatives and policies (such as, private companies, CSOs and NGOs, cities, local authorities, social partners, etc.) which will act as multipliers for the recruitment and the engagement of the migrants who will actively take part in the project.•Implementing a multistakeholders platform.•Conducting Market Gaps identifications.•Desigining and publishing a Multi-stakeholders Platform Toolkit to introduce the methodology and activities leading to the establishment of the Local Multi-stakeholders Platform.•Developing and implementing an activation programme.•Developing and implementing an evaluation form for the activation programme, for the training social entrepreneurship and for the training community navigation.•Generation of individual skill profiles based on the information from the EU Tool•Developing and implementing an attendance list for the activation programme, for the training social entrepreneurship and for the training community navigation. • Designing certificate for the activation programme, the training social entrepreneurship and the training community navigation•Recruiting and selecting participants for the activation programme.•Organizing Participants selection for the activation programme.•Developing and implementing a trainingsprogramme social entrepreneurship.•Developing and implementing a trainingsprogramme community navigators.•Implementing a Quality Plan•Implementing an impactevaluation.•Implementing Learning/Teaching/Learning Activities:•2 international workshops•Implementing Multiplier events:•Social innovation Fair Italy•Social innovation Fair Spain•Social innovation Fair Germany•Social innovation Fair the Netherlands•Final conferenceImplemented activities DisseminationThe dissemination strategy in the project’s implementation process served as a vital bridge between our project's outcomes and the wider world. The project’s dissemination process embodied efforts at sharing knowledge, project activities and results to a wider public. To achieve these the following activities were implemented for dissemination:•Designing a dissemination and communication plan and visual guideline with a logo of We Can and house style.•Developing landing pages at the websites of every partner which included updated information about project activities and results. The webpages were available in English but included main news and information also in all partners’ languages. •Designing and posting posts for Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to communicate about the results and progress of the project We Can •Designing Newsletters to communicate about the results and progress of the project We Can.•Designing and producing YouTube Video: A short summary of the project description, in the form of a digital presentation has been produced and available on youtube with subtitles to provide project information to the general public as well as attract participants in to the project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcEhVUMNJ2U and https://youtu.be/22JNRZNXbTs. As the project progresses, more videos will be uploaded for the public. •Designing 2 brochures. •Designing a campaign flyer.•Producing Infographics in all partner languages. •Designing Roll-up banners containing relevant information, about the project as part of the dissemination efforts are translated in all partner languages. •Producing interviews (5 per partner) on the project activities, opinions on migrant’s empowerment and integration as well as on the projects’ results.•Sharing the interviews (5 per partners) on the various social media platforms. Interviews guidelines will be created for partner to adapt and use at the local levels.SustainabilityThe project aimed to promote integration and interaction between local authorities and migrants on their territory. Sustainability was central to the project, in the sense that the migrants involved in the project were expected to bring about change not only within their own households, but also in their local contexts, contributing to solving long-standing problems and becoming a point of reference (community navigators) for other peers. Migrants' direct dialogue with local communities to inform the strategies, initiatives and actions that will ultimately impact them and other migrants in their situation was essential to ensure the sustainability of the action's results. A sustainability plan was prepared with ideas for funding and networking opportunities at the national and European levels for the continuation and scaling up of the project's results.•Designing and implementing a sustainability plan.<< Results >>During the We Can project period, we conducted and implemented project activities for the preparation phase, for projectmanagement and implementation, dissemination and for sustainability. These projectactivities led to concrete project results and other outputs. We describe the concrete project results and other outputs for each project component below.Project results (R1): Multistakeholders platform ToolkitPrior to the implementation of the initial project activities and objectives to be carried out and reached there was a preparation phase. From the moment Solid Road signed the Grant Agreement Solid Road started to coordinate the activities of the preparation phase. Concrete project results and other outputs in the preparation were: •5 consortium agreements with the partners •A project collaboration platform (google drive, platform for online meetings). •Confirmed roles and responsibilities within the consortium.•Templates for financial and technical reporting.•Kick-off meeting (TPM) in September 2022 •A description of the project We Can to be used as content for social media and for the websites of each partner.•A Quality Plan and terms of reference for the project evaluation. In the Quality Plan the qualitative and quantitative indicators were explained together with a timeline of evaluation and a strategy for handling risk was presented. •A dissemination and communication plan, with a particular attention to the division of tasks and responsibilities in the design and production of all communication items and materials. Concrete project results and other outputs Projectmanagement and ImplementationThe overall objective of projectmanagement and implementation was to provide an efficient coordination and sound management of the single actions and activities in order to achieve the project's goals and objectives within the budget and time limits, and with the impact envisaged. For Projectmanagement and Implementation we achieved the following concrete project results and other outputs:•28 online project meetings with the partners for monitoring the contribution of the partners and organising and coordination of all projectactivities.•3 transnational project meetings (3): Kick-off meeting, 1st Project meeting, Final Project meeting (combined with 2nd international workshop).•1 monitoring system for monitoring the contribution of the partners. (Monitoring System: online project meetings and communication via e- mail. Each partner had his own task. Solid Road acted as project's coordinator ensuring that the contribution of the partners was in accordance with the agreements in the project plan and the described project activities. Solid Road organized and lead online project meetings to monitor project progress review, monitored the work that had been carried out, reviewed the progress and results, registered and applied changes to the work plan and time planning. After each online project meeting Solid Road sent an e-mail to all project partners with a do-list and deadlines to all partners when activities had to be done. Solid Road is monitored if the partners were carrying out their activities according to the deadlines. At the beginning of every online project meeting each partner reported what he or she had done during the past period and how she or he had contributed to the project activities).•1 matrix for the stakeholders mapping.•Stakeholders are mapped: Identification of all stakeholders active in the field of integration initiatives and policies (such as, private companies, CSOs and NGOs, cities, local authorities, social partners, etc.) which would act as multipliers for the recruitment and the engagement of the migrants who actively took part in the project.•Implementing of 5 multistakeholders platforms•36 collaboration letters for the stakeholders •Market gaps identifications for each partner (5)•1 Multi-stakeholders Platform Toolkit which introduced the methodology and activities leading to the establishment of the Local Multi-stakeholders PlatformProject results R2: Activation Programme•An Activation programme was developed•235 Participants recruited and selected for the activation programme (Solid Road 22, Pro Arbeit 31, Sensacional 14, Chapter#2 168)•84 Individual skill profiles (Solid Road 22, Pro Arbeit 20, Sensacional 13, Chapter#2 29)•2 Evaluation forms: 1 for the activation programme and 1 for the impact evaluationProject results R3: Social entrepreneurship curriculum and pathway•A trainingsprogramme social entrepreneurship was developed• 55 Participants recruited and selected for the trainingsprogramme social entrepreneurship (Solid Road 15, Pro Arbeit 12, Sensacional 12, Chapter#2 16)Project results R4: Community navigators curriculum and pathway•A Trainingsprogramme community navigators was developoped• 37 Participants recruited and selected for the trainingsprogramme community navigators (Solid Road 15, Pro Arbeit 7, Sensacional 5, Chapter#2 10)Transnational project meetings: -3 Transnational project meetings (one in Nijmegen in the Netherlands, one in Catalonia (Spain) and one in Rome)Learning and teaching: -2 Learning/Teaching/Learning Activities (2 international workshops one in Barcelona/ Catalonia and one in Rome)Multiplier events5 Multiplier events:-Social innovation Fair Italy-Social innovation Fair Spain-Social innovation Fair Germany-Social innovation Fair the Netherlands-Final conference in Rome Impact:-ImpactevaluationConcrete project results and other outputs DisseminationThe dissemination strategy in the project’s implementation process served as a vital bridge between our project's outcomes and the wider world. The project’s dissemination process embodied efforts at sharing knowledge, project activities and results to a wider public. To achieve these the following activities were implemented for dissemination:•1 Dissemination and communication plan and visual guideline with a logo of We Can and house style.•5 Landing pages at the websites of every partner which included updated information about project activities and results. The webpages were available in English but included main news and information also in all partners’ languages. •Posts for Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to communicate about the results and progress of the project We Can •Newsletters to communicate about the results and progress of the project We Can.•1 YouTube Video: A short summary of the project description, in the form of a digital presentation has been produced and available on youtube with subtitles to provide project information to the general public as well as attract participants in to the project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcEhVUMNJ2U and https://youtu.be/22JNRZNXbTs. As the project progresses, more videos will be uploaded for the public. •2 Brochures•1 Campaign flyer•Infographics in all partner languages.•Roll-up banners containing relevant information, about the project as part of the dissemination efforts are translated in all partner languages. •25 Interviews (5 per partner) on the project activities, opinions on migrant’s empowerment and integration as well as on the projects’ results which were shared on the various social media platforms. Interviews guidelines will be created for partner to adapt and use at the local levels.Concrete project results and other outputs sustainabilityThe project aimed to promote integration and interaction between local authorities and migrants on their territory. Sustainability was central to the project, in the sense that the migrants involved in the project were expected to bring about change not only within their own households, but also in their local contexts, contributing to solving long-standing problems and becoming a point of reference (community navigators) for other peers. Migrants' direct dialogue with local communities to inform the strategies, initiatives and actions that will ultimately impact them and other migrants in their situation was essential to ensure the sustainability of the action's results. A sustainability plan was prepared with ideas for funding and networking opportunities at the national and European levels for the continuation and scaling up of the project's results. As a conrete project result a sustainability plan was prepared with ideas for funding and networking opportunities at the national and European levels for the continuation and scaling up of the project's results.