The 2nd Social Entrepreneurship Forum took place on 9-10 November at the Agricultural University of Athens (Find the program and available material here). Numerous participants – social enterprises, stakeholders and support organisations for social enterprises and social economy – addressed matters relating to cooperation, networking and self-organization of the social enterprise community. A number of critical issues emerged and was discussed thoroughly; the need for networking and cooperation between social enterprises and support organizations, the demand for commonly accepted practices as well as structures for the development of the ecosystem in general and in particular for stakeholders’ education, the support of efforts in their infancy, the development of appropriate financial and funding tools. Above all, the protection of the community from isolated phenomena that can compromise the whole.
The event provided a platform for the development of the necessary openness and trust, to stimulate dialogue on shared values and practices, opportunities and concerns, dissemination of good practices, learning from one another, both in Greece and elsewhere in Europe.
The Social Entrepreneurship Forum 2015 reached a Declaration agreed on a Framework of Principles and Values, which will form the basis of a Code of Conduct which we intend to co-shape by March 2016 at the latest. It, also, includes the commitment to create a common on-line platform based on the principles of the Commons (Commons – Creative Commons) that will provide accurate and timely information about social enterprises and social economy and innovative tools for the communication of community and coordination of networking and empowerment activities at local, regional, national and EU level as well as for concerted presence in social media.
It is a common desire for the Social Entrepreneurship Forum not only to develop in an annual institution for dialogue, information and networking but also to become in the future the capstone of coordinated and well organized thematic or regional meetings that will bring experience, recommendations, and joint initiatives to the Forum.
Available material of the Forum you can find in the Forum’s website www.seforum.gr
