On May 13, ADV Romania is organising the second edition of the Enterprising for Tomorrow - Social Entrepreneurship & Youth Engagement Conference. The event will be online via Zoom and in-person at Palas Iasi, Romania and we are pleased to announce that EASPD is a strategic partner of the event which will include:

• Top leaders from OECD, European Commission and European Investment Fund
• Workshops with 12 social entrepreneurs from Romania and Moldova
• A case study of a successful public program for social entrepreneurship in Ukraine
• Exclusive insights about OECD and European Commission initiatives for youth
• 150+ physical attendees from Europe, including Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia,  Armenia
• 8 of 12 speakers attending in person

As active promoters of the social economy, ADV Romania, the organisation which helped shape the legislative framework for social economy in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, aims to create a thought leadership platform for the accelerating movement toward a sustainable economy.

The event aims to activate a space for dialogue for policymakers, international experts in the social economy, pioneers, and social innovators, to inspire the next wave of social change through social entrepreneurship.

Exclusive data, case studies and success stories from a new trend changing the business world – social economy, these are some of the topics of the second edition of the Enterprising for Tomorrow Conference: Social Entrepreneurship & Youth Engagement Conference 2022. The conference includes two plenary sessions with 12 speakers and two workshops with 12 social entrepreneurs from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, simultaneous translation into Romanian, Russian and English.

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Exclusive insights about youth initiatives and Social Economy Action Plan

Antonella Noya, Head of the Unit on Social Economy and Innovation, OECD, will present a study that the OECD is preparing on youth-led social enterprises.

Dana Verbal, Team leader for Social Economy, DG EMPL, European Commission, will bring the news about the Youth entrepreneurship policy academy – a key initiative in the European Action Plan for Social Economy, which will be launched in 2022.

Víctor Meseguer, Director of Social Economy Europe, will showcase the opportunities and key initiatives in the Social Economy Action Plan.

A unique case study from Ukraine

Before the war, the Vinnytsia region in Ukraine was positioned as an innovative hub for social enterprises. It was the epicentre of social entrepreneurship in Ukraine. Vinnytsia City Council had developed the Social Entrepreneurship Development Program, and it had amazing results.

Olena Prysiazhniuk, former coordinator of the Social Entrepreneurship Program in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, will spotlight all the significant local initiatives as they can serve as models of good practice for all countries and communities. Olena has currently taken refugee in Moldova, where she continues the work in social entrepreneurship with a new twist and from a new role – Finance & operations officer in emergency mission IsraAID Moldova.

Alternative financing and impact investing – trending global topics

Andrea Bratu, Investment Manager at the European Investment Fund (EIF), will deliver a presentation on the role of financial institutions in supporting social enterprises. The EIF has revolutionized social impact investments in Central and Eastern Europe by participating in creating the first two social impact funds in Central and Eastern Europe.

Dónal Traynor, CEO of Community Finance Ireland, will spotlight the story of Ireland's fastest-growing social finance institution. Over the past 22 years, the institution has worked with many capital providers, helping social enterprises, sports clubs, and NGOs grow and impact the community.

The current state of social economy in Romania

Angela Achitei, president of ADV Romania and Ancuta Vamesu, president of RISE Romania, will offer an overview of the social economy in Romania, including current opportunities, the Barometer of social enterprises and new financing instruments. Angela and Ancuta are the only two women from Romania featured in the Euclid Network Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise 2022.

Interactive sessions with social entrepreneurs

12 social entrepreneurs from Romania and Moldova will share their stories in creating social enterprises. Their background ranges from green and circular economy to social, educational and cultural services.

1.000+ anticipated attendees, online and in-person

The event aims to become an essential milestone in ADV Romania's mission to inspire the development of good businesses for the people, the planet, and communities. Over 150 people from Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia and Armenia will physically attend the conference to be held in Iasi - the second-largest city after Bucharest (the capital). Over 1.000 are expected to watch the event online – on Zoom Events, Facebook, and YouTube. Simultaneous translation in English and Russian will be available. 8 of the 12 speakers will participate in-person. Víctor Meseguer, Andrea Bratu, Dónal Traynor will be among them!

How you can attend

For people from all European countries, the event is a great opportunity to learn, get inspiration and connect with social impact leaders. It is free, and it can be done from anywhere since it will be available online.

Conference registration

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This event is funded by the European Union under the following projects:

• EU4Youth – Social Innovation Impact – a strategic partnership under the EU4Youth – Fostering youth employment and societal change through social entrepreneurship Program.
• AFIN - Romanian Alternative FINancing Institution Dedicated to Social Enterprises VP/2019/015/0035, under the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Innovation "EaSI" (2014-2020).

The information contained in this material does not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Commission.