As part of the CERUSI and SOCENT SPAs project, EPIC n.o. organized an online workshop “Supporting social enterprises and improving life in the region” that took place on March 24, 2021.
The workshop was attended by a total of 32 participants – there were active social entrepreneurs, actors in the social economy but also those who are just planning to establish a social enterprise, or become active in social entrepreneurship. The online workshop was accompanied by Ján Plesník, an experienced expert on circular economy from the National Recycling Agency of Slovakia (NARA SK). He also introduced the issue of the circular economy in the context of the social economy.
Another important speaker and debater of the workshop was František Fabo, a member of the board of Alliance for the Social Economy in Slovakia (ASES), an umbrella organization representing almost 100 registered social enterprises and entrepreneurs in Slovakia who informed participants about the importance and possibilities of financial and non-financial support, existing legislative policies, as well as, explained the conditions for the registration of social enterprises. He also emphasized that social enterprises can make a huge contribution to circular economy.
Ján Krišpín was also one of the experts who introduced the topic of materially unusable waste as the cornerstone of modern energy. It is the transition to circular economy that can play an important role in the development of regions.
In addition to stimulating topics from experienced experts, participants had the opportunity to discuss how to start and support the development of social enterprises, social innovation and the circular economy. The workshop thus provided the participants, in addition to obtaining new information, also the posibility to share their own experience and seek for solutions to problems that bothered them.
At the same time, they agreed that the support of social enterprises also improves employability and thus improves life in the regions of Slovakia.
