Social enterprises are one of the most needed and creative business types these days. Social enterprises are organizations whose mission is to discover creative, entrepreneurial solutions to society’s social problems. Some of them are local, national or even worldwide issues that require a solution, and people who spot the issue and find creative ways to conquer the problem become successful social entrepreneurs.
“Social Entrepreneurship for Youth” project is about the development of social enterprises aimed at encouraging, informing and teaching young people about the importance and principles of social business. Social business is relevant topic, therefore the international learning teaching and training activity of future social entrepreneurs was held in Lithuania on May 30 – June 5, 2022, which allowed the participants to share common experience in the field of social businesses, gain knowledge and promote the visibility of such businesses, since there are no social enterprises in some of the countries that participated in the project (Cyprus, Iceland, Lithuania, Greece, Italy and North Macedonia) or legal regulatory systems and the sector of these businesses itself is poorly visible and recognized. There is a lack of information and structure that could provide young entrepreneurs with information and assistance in creating and developing social businesses. Thereupon participants of the meeting shared their ideas on the topic: how to raise awareness on the current social issues and to express the importance of acknowledgment of such issues for the businesses to succeed; how to create the environment in which young people would be interested in getting involved in solving social problems.
One of the ideas was assisting in the daily activities of the elderly. Creating a daily report on their condition, commitment and their inclusion in everyday life are just some of the benefits of this social business idea. The elderly make up around 12% of all people in the world and it’s expected to increase to 22% in 2050, therefore the issue is very relevant and it might be a good social business niche.
Another memorable idea was ADHD in women, because a lot of women are undiagnosed with the condition and struggling for so long without the proper tools and treatment. The authors of this idea to facilitate the problem were also diagnosed with ADHD. Thereupon they created a children‘s book that starred a girl named Sara with ADHD, her struggles and victories, and also a pamphlet aimed at parents and teachers, or those that work closely with children. Undiagnosed ADHD in girls and women is a multi-layered issue that has effects on various governmental and social systems as well as having a significant impact on the quality of life for the women in question. It’s important to familiarise yourself with the problem and try to improve the lives of those who are affected by ADHD.
Shared ideas let the participants get to know different strategies and concepts on capturing the attention on the current issues and techniques to create successful social business to solve issues around us with the ideas and tools project “Social Entrepreneurship for Youth” created.
