Entrepreneurs for Social Change

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and Fondazione CRT are organizing an 8- day training which will bring together 20 young people from the Euro-Mediterranean region to enhance the skills needed to boost a business idea with a social mission, and be a powerful motor of economic development and social inclusion. In addition to this training, the selected 20 young adults will receive feedback from peers, mentoring from experienced social entrepreneurs and will be matched with potential investors.

The training portion of Entrepreneurs for Social Change (E4SC) will take place at the premises of Fondazione CRT in Torino (Italy), from 18- 25 October 2015.

The training will focus on two main aspects of social entrepreneurship:

• The business aspect, i.e. the framework of the social enterprise:
  – Creating a solid implementation plan;
  – Defining the target audience/clientele and finding the appropriate partners;
  – Being strategic and efficient in the search for funding / capitals;
  – Understanding the need to continuously network;
  – Ensuring sustainability of the social enterprise.
• The social aspect, i.e. the content of the social enterprise:
  – Fully understanding the cultural and religious diversity of the context in which the social enterprise will be implemented;
  – Being strategic (finding a niche, responding to a need) in either leveraging this diversity or addressing challenges related to it;
  – Being equipped with the skills to prevent and address tensions or conflicts with links to cultural or religious diversity.

Eligibility
A total of 20 young social entrepreneurs will be selected. Applicants must meet all of the following criteria in order to be considered eligible for the program.

The applicant:

• Has a social enterprise (or be in the process of establishing a social enterprise) which is either leveraging cultural and religious diversity or promoting broader social change and can potentially create economic opportunities and social inclusion for a specific community or across communities. The social enterprise can already be established or be in its initial stages, the applicant must demonstrate how its idea is grounded and sustainable;
• Has a date of birth between 15 October 1979 and 15 October 1997;
  Holds a passport valid until at least 30 April 2016 (for a visa to be issued, a passport needs to be valid for at least 6 months after the expected date of entry into the country issuing the visa);
• Lives in and be of nationality from a Euro-Med country (Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestinian territories, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey)
• Is fluent in spoken English.

Costs

There is no participation fee, and all participants will be provided with round-trip tickets to Torino as well as accommodation, meals and visa support. Arrival and departure dates for participants are fixed: they cannot and will not be modified. Any modification to travel arrangements or accommodation will be at the expense of the participant.

Application

Submit an application package which must include the following documents:
The application form (you first need to register);
A scan of the identification page of your current valid international passport;
Resume/curriculum vitae, in English, with a maximum of 3 pages.

Location: Torino, Italy

Deadline for application is 22 July 2015. Applicants will be notified by 15 August 2015.

Read more and apply here.