The DAISSy research group of the Hellenic Open University successfully organized a Social Hackathon, from 9 to 12 October 2022, in Ioannina, Greece. The aim of the Social Hackathon was to find solutions to the economic integration of refugees and asylum seekers, into the local economy, and consequently into the local society of Ioannina. Refugees and asylum seekers, representatives of non-governmental organizations, representatives of social enterprises, representatives of public institutions and students of the HOU Postgraduate Programme of Studies in Social and Solidarity Economy participated in the Social Hackathon. All of them worked closely together, and with the continuous support of experienced mentors, they formed multicultural teams that developed business proposals based on the principles of social and solidarity economy.
The business proposals were presented by the multicultural teams before a jury consisting of Professor Konstantinos Karamanis, Vice President of the HOU, Mrs. Eleni Kontonasiou, Directorate of Social and Solidarity Economy, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and Mrs. Harikleia Yatroudi, Solidarity Now. The three business proposals were qualified by the jury and, after the Social Hackathon, they evolved into business plans with the support of professionals.
A prerequisite for participation in the Social Hackathon was the attendance of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in Social Entrepreneurship, which was developed by the DAISSy Research Group of the HOU. For the first time in Greece, a MOOC on Social Entrepreneurship was offered in four languages (Greek, English, French and Arabic), giving the opportunity to anyone interested, including people from the refugee population, of all ages and educational levels, to acquire knowledge about the social and solidarity economy and to be trained in practical tools useful for planning the launch of an entrepreneurial venture with social impact.
The Social Hackathon, the MOOC in Social Entrepreneurship and the preparation of the business plans were carried out in the framework of the project “REInSER: Refugees‘ Economic Integration through Social Entrepreneurship“. REInSER brings together 8 project partners from academia, business support organisations and local authorities gathering different expertise, knowledges and skills in 6 countries of the ADRION area, namely, Slovenia, Italy, Greece, BiH, Serbia and Croatia. From Greece, the partner of the project is the DAISSy Research Group of the HOU and the associated partners are the Special Service “NSRF Executive Structure, Employment & Social Economy Sector” of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs,the Development Agency of Karditsa AN.KA S.A. and the Development Agency of Trikala e-Trikala S.A. The REInSER project is implemented in the framework of the Adriatic-Ionian Interreg ADRION Transnational Cooperation Programme funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) II.
More information about the REInSER project can be found on the project website: www.reinser.adrioninterreg.eu . For more information about DAISSy projects and actions:
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