Alliance for the Development of Social Economy

The project was introduced between 01.07.2010 and 30.06.2013 in partnership with MMFPSPV, DGPPH (former ANPH), Motivation Foundation, DGASPC Iași and Social Cooperative Il Poliedro, Italy, being co-financed from the European Social Fund through POSDRU, axis 6.1 The development of social economy and had a total value of 18,408,995 RON.

The objective of the project was the promotion of the structures of the social economy as flexible and sustainable instruments for economic growth and the creation of jobs at national level for people submitted to the risk of social exclusion.

The target group of the project were primarily young people with disabilities, including HIV/AIDS, young people from the child protection system and other young people from vulnerable groups and in terms of secondary target group, specialists in the domain. The area of intervention at the level of young people were Iasi, Constanta, Mures and Ilfov counties and part of the activities designed for the development of the sector were carried out at national and transnational level.

The project was oriented towards three large areas of intervention:

• The expansion of counselling, professional guidance, training/qualification services and protected employment to a number of 276 young people in IT, bookbinding, craftsmanship, painting, tailoring and manufacturing decorative candles in their own protected workshops from Iasi, Constanta and Tg. Mures. The development of the three work integration social enterprises of Close to You Foundation, by building a new modern social economy centre in Iasi accessible to disabled people, and the provision of equipment to the protected establishment of Motivation Foundation, our partner. Within the framework of the project, 74 people out of which 35 disabled young people have been employed in three protected establishments (social enterprises) of Close to You Foundation. All the created jobs have been preserved so far.
• The development of the social economy sector:  training in social economy/study visits to work integration social enterprises, organisation of Protected Establishments Fair, second and third editions; counselling and support through the resource centres created using the project in 4 locations in the country – Iasi, Constanta, Tg. Mures and Bucharest. In total, 975 specialists have benefitted from these services.

The development of resource instruments in the domain: the research “Policies, practices and tendencies in social economy in Romania and the European Union as a whole” Manual of procedures and good practice models “Experiences of Social Economy”; Resource centre in social economy; Presentation and auction platform www.unitatiprotejate.ro Online shop with products made in the social firms of the foundation www.utildeco.ro Presentation video of the development of the social firms can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOjLENds-fU Media national promotion campaign of the results of the project.