The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is launching the third edition of Entrepreneurs for Social Change, a one-year programme, which aims to support young entrepreneurs in the Euro-Med region, who, through their business activities, are committed to creating employment opportunities while promoting nonviolent social change.
The programme offers a one-week intensive training for 20 social entrepreneurs who are selected through a competitive call for applications from the 26 countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. Ten experts from the roster of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations provide training sessions on building business models, fundraising, generating employment, facilitating intercultural understanding, engaging local communities, and addressing marginalization.
After the training, the social entrepreneurs have the opportunity to benefit from both one-on-one and group mentoring sessions. Through these, participants practically apply lessons they learn during the training, approach potential investors, strengthen their business plans, and test their social impact. One mentor works with each trainee for a period of 9 months to incubate his/her entrepreneurial idea and help move it forward.
By drawing on the network of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, the social entrepreneurs become part of an international community of practice. This enables them to create opportunities to expand their start-ups, learn how to use intercultural challenges to their advantage, stay in touch with and learn from their peers around the world, present their projects to potential investors and donors, and become mentors for future entrepreneurs.
The 2015 edition of the program, will start with a training, held from the 18th to the 25nd October 2015 in Torino, Italy. There is no participation fee, and all participants will be provided with round-trip international tickets to Torino as well as accommodations, meals and visa support.
To apply, visit www.e4sc.org.