how can social economy contribute to local development

Shaping a New Global Reality: The Rise of Asia and its ImplicationsThe Eighth Annual Global Development Conference

of the Global Development NetworkJanuary 12 – 19, 2007

Beijing, China

How can social economy contribute to local development?

The little community that could

Barka Foundation

Background information

SWOT analysisWEAK SIDES

Weak society’s preparation to the free market economy and democracy, lack of financial support, legal regulations and lack of citizens’ society’s structures; Societal stagnancy and lack of co-operation at administrative, private and individual levels; Lack of entrepreneurial activities traditions; Passive welfare approaches, lack of re-socialization programs;Unbeneficial changes in the situation of many people, who were not prepared to the political and economic transformation (homelessness as result of evictions and liquidation of workers hotels, long term unemployment, closure of unprofitable companies, addictions as result of worsening life conditions, increase of violence);Lack of educational programmes for staff education in the area of social economy, etc.


SWOT analysisSTRONG SIDES:

Entry into a free market economy and democracy created possibilities for search of new solutions; Relief for the financial strain on the national system of social welfare can be found through the social economy; Leaders determination to shape a new social policy in Poland and create an alternative system of support;The EU enlargement process emphasizes the strengthening of citizens society initiatives and development of active forms of support to socially excluded people, as well as the development of human resources through financial instruments, mainly the EFS.


HOMELESSNESS, ADDICTIONS, DELINQUENCY, PASSIVITY: 1st step - communities creation ;

LACK OF SKILLS : 2nd step - socio-educational programme, which gave the basis for the creation of the act on social employment;

LACK OF LEGAL REGULATIONS : 3rd step - work places creation programme and social entrepreneurship - Barka prepared a proposal of a new legislation to obtain legal recognition of social cooperatives – law on social cooperatives;

SHORTAGE, OVERCROWDED AND DAMP HOUSING : 4th step - housing programme - an example of public-social and public-private partnerships - act on activities of public benefit and volunteerism (in which the Barka Foundation participated as consultant) and act on financial support in the period 2004-2006 for creation of social housing, shelters and hostels for the homeless


Existing support structures

Civil society’s involvement and volunteerism – Act on Activities of Public Benefit and Volunteerism

Social Integration Centres – trade training and general education for long term unemployed people (about 30 centres) - Law on Social Employment

Clubs of Social Integration – groups of support and education

Social cooperatives and social enterprises - Law on Social Cooperatives

Partnership structure1. Barka Foundation for Mutual Help (project coordinator & international cooperation & promotion)2. Barka-Kofoed School Association - Social Integration Centre (training programs)3. Social Emergency Association (selection of final beneficiaries and their involvement)4. Association for Social Cooperatives (CES Poznan - big city)5. Polish Alliance for Social Integration (support for local partnership’s building)6. Barka Sport Association for Social Integration (social integration of final beneficiaries) 7. WIELKOPOMOC Association for Integration of Local Communities (work with participants)8. Barka Association for Social Integration - SIW Barka (work with participants)9. Barka Community House Foundation in Drezdenko (CES Drezdenko – small town)10. Regional Socio-Educational Centre Association „For the People and the Environment” (CES Kwilcz – countryside province)11. Publishing Association (project romotion and social integration activities in Clubs)12. The rural Kwilcz Commune (promotion of activities undertaken by CES Kwilcz)13. Institute of Political Studies PAN-Polish Academy of Sciences (monitoring and evaluation)14. MaroonPoint Poland (project’s website and IT training to final beneficiaries)

Social Economy in Practice

Analysis of needs for support

– MAIN OBJECTIVE

Elaboration of a system of support to social economy initiatives to promote changes of the social status of socially excluded persons in three diverse local environments:

• Big city (CES Poznań),

• Small town (CES Drezdenko Lubuskie region),

• Rural district (CES Kwilcz – Wielkopolska region).


Analysis of needs for support

• TWO MAIN RESULTS:

A model structure of support to social economy bodies – SOCIAL ECONOMY CENTRES (SEC)

Mechanism for local partnerships building. The tool is the education of leaders in the framework of social economy.


Specific objectives:Objective 1 : Implementation of diverse forms of local cooperation and programmes of socio-professional integration through building of six local partnerships.

Objective 2 : Preparation of social economy leaders staff (workers of social economy bodies and people experienced by poverty) through elaboration and implementation of a program of continuous education in the framework of self-educational groups.

Objective 3 : Creation and development of effective mechanisms of support to persons entering the work market through creation of three model Social Economy Centres and support to creation of social cooperatives and social enterprises.

Objective 4 : Promotion of an efficient understanding between the partners and creation of a mechanism for the promotion of the project through construction of an efficient IT system.

Support structures (local level)

Long term unemployed

people

OPEN LABOUR MARKET

People not qualified to participate in the

Social Integration Centre

HOUSING

Social Cooperatives

SOCIAL ECONOMY CENTRE

Social IntegrationCentre

Hostels &Community houses

for homeless


Hostels &Community houses

for homeless


Social IntegrationCentre


Social Cooperatives


RURAL AREAS

http://sgp.undp.org/web/images/418/fruit_trees_nursery.html


URBAN AREASSocial

Cooperatives

HOUSING


ABOVE: The Darzybor Settlement (Poznan) planned for 100 houses for about 400-500 persons (100 families). The first stage of 32 dwellings was delivered to the first families at the beginning of 2006.

RIGHT: Renovated buildings in Chudopczyce bought in raw conditions.

Support structures (internal)

SOCIAL ECONOMY CENTRE

Recruitment and information agency

JOB AGENCY

Vocational counseling and training agency

DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

AID FUND



Target population:

1st GROUP : socially excluded people or threatened by exclusion: unemployed people, homeless, released from prisons, leaving orphanages and correctional houses, addicted and people without any income

2nd GROUP : workers of institutions of social support, local admnistration, NGOs, social animators, representatives of housing settlements’ councils, parishes, educational institutions, housing cooperatives, trade unions, entrepreneurs, social enterprises’ staff, media representatives and leaders of partner organizations.

Social Economy in PracticeAnalysis of labour marketDEMAND:

Young people with experience; People with low educational level: care for the handicapped and the

elderly; children’s care; cleaning, gardening and building services; printing office; ecologic food; cemeteries/graves cleaning; recycling and sale of second hand goods

OFFER: Entrepreneurial working experience for young people in positions

requiring high level education; For people with low educational level we offer on-the-job training and

employment in: gastronomy/catering, commerce, ecologic food and herbs’ cultivation, preserves produce, recreation (running of a vacation centre at the Baltic coast beach and a public lake beach space with rent of aquatic equipment), recycling (second hand clothing, furniture, scrap metals), gardening, public and green spaces cleaning, rickshaws, small printing office, etc.

Networks & relationships

Housing cooperativesParishes

Inhabitants’ councils

Businesses

District work offices

NGOs

Social cooperatives

Educational institutions

Local authority welfare officeLOCAL PARTNERSHIPS

SOCIAL ECONOMY LEADERS EDUCATION

Social Economy Centre


Networks & relationships

FEANTSAEuropean Federation of National Organizations

working with the Homeless

EAPNEuropean Anti-Poverty

Network

Schwab Foundation for Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs

ASHOKAInnovators for the Public

BARKA FOUNDATION

GDN – Global Development Network

EuroMIEuropean Network for Migrants Integration

Social Economy in PracticeTP SETEN

Social Enterprises Trade European

Network

TP IFIPOItaly+FInland+PolandEducational programs



Human resources (key staff) development agents : 5 trainers: 50 guidance and counselling : 20 information officers: 20 financial and legal experts : 20

Financial resources public national financial resources EU resources own resources in-kind donations private resources

Physical premises BUILDINGS (hostels, communities) EDUCATIONAL: Social Integration Centres, Social Economy Centres, conference centres ECONOMIC BUILDINGS (rural and urban areas) HOTEL, RECREATION CENTRES OFFICES HOUSING WITH EQUIPMENT (community houses, re-adaptation flats, housing settlement)

Present activities

The street paper „Gazeta Uliczna” is a bi-monthly magazine with socio-cultural profile, devoted to social economy issues. GU is member of the INSP - International Network of Street Papers and partner of the Big Issue from Scotland.

The magazine is sold on the streets by the homeless and unemployed people, who earn 50% of the income from the sale. This system gives the possibility to its vendors to earn money while they are up-grading their vocational skills and searching for permanent employment.

Promotion of the street paper in the Poznan City Hall.

Present activities

The project is aimed at providing assistance to “work migrants” who fail to find employment, end up on the streets and are subject to quick degradation processes in

the countries of destination.

http://www.euromi.info/euromi_eng.html


THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION !

Barbara and Tomasz Sadowski

Please visit our websites:

www.barka.org.pl

www.ces.net.pl


http://www.barka.org.pl/

http://www.ces.net.pl/
