Europe has long been one of the main destinations for people with migration backgrounds from various parts of the world. These individuals, driven by various motivations, bring with them a wealth of experiences, talents, and ambitions. Many of them choose to embark on the path of entrepreneurship, giving rise to businesses that not only contribute to the European economy but also enrich the social and cultural fabric of the continent. However, at times, this journey encounters obstacles of various kinds, from bureaucracy to xenophobia.
How can we support and sustain those who choose to embark on this path?
This question is concretely answered by CHAMPION, the project that, involving five organizations, aims to increase the entrepreneurial skills of people with migrant backgrounds to reduce the risk of marginalization and exclusion.
Businesses run by people with migration backgrounds are a living testament to Europe’s cultural diversity. These businesses often reflect the traditions, skills, and cultural influences of their founders. This leads to greater diversity in the offering of products and services, enriching the commercial and cultural landscape of local communities.
Furthermore, these businesses play a crucial role in promoting social and economic inclusion. By providing employment opportunities to individuals from diverse backgrounds, they contribute to reducing inequalities and promoting the integration of communities with migration backgrounds into European society.
What we aim to do with Champion over the course of the 24-month project is to provide an accessible path for young people with migration backgrounds. We will do this in six cities: Badajoz (Spain), Palermo (Italy), Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Vienna (Austria), Piraeus (Greece).
The goal is to provide adults with migrant backgrounds with knowledge, skills and competencies to conceive and create heritage-based social enterprises and potential success stories.
All of this will be accomplished through research analysis and the study of critical factors related to the creation of social enterprises by people with migration backgrounds in partner countries and the EU, followed by the identification of success stories.
Subsequently, we will conduct empirical research with a focus on success and failure factors for the creation of social enterprises and social initiatives by people with migration backgrounds.
Finally, we will define an action-oriented pedagogical approach and the definition of the competency matrix, the structure, and contents of the Training Program, and the development of the competence assessment and verification method for participants in the training program.
CHAMPION also pays attention to professionals who work with people with migrant backgrounds. For them it has designed an innovative package of training methodologies. In this way they can improve their own entrepreneurship support activities, in turn generating benefits in those who embark on a path in social entrepreneurship.
To learn more about the project and learn about all the news, visit: https://championentrepreneur.eu/ or contact Enrico Casacchia: enrico.casacchia@cesie.org.
About the project
CHAMPION – Cultural Heritage bAsed social entrepreneurship and innovatION is a project funded by the Erasmus+ program KA220-ADU – Cooperation partnerships in adult education.
Partners
- Camera di commercio globale per i paesi di lingua portoghese (Luxembourg, coordinator)
- EOLAS SL (Spain)
- MyArtist Koin.S.Ep (Greece)
- Agenzia di ricerca e sviluppo VAEV GmbH (Austria)
- CESIE (Italy)
For further information
Read more about CHAMPION, visit the website https://championentrepreneur.eu/, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Contact Enrico Casacchia: enrico.casacchia@cesie.org.
