PeerEx 2022
A reflection on four outstanding exchanges during 2022
Promoting and facilitating knowledge exchanges is one of the pillars of EN’s Theory of Change (TOC). We’re firm believers that knowledge exchange is essential across all sectors, and the Network is here to make this more accessible and more frequent. EN has, in recent years, held and facilitated a series of peer exchanges, sometimes tailored to a specific country or region, while other editions were open to the entire membership.
PeerEx 2022 was special as the first edition ‘after’ COVID-19, when travel was again possible, but restrictions varied across countries. Moreover, EN members, like society in general, were forced to learn to work online or remotely. Additionally, the Network saw a large growth in number of members in recent years, thus it was also a new initiative for a large parcel of the membership.
Having outlived the pandemic, EN members are more skilled and more comfortable to work online and develop projects online. I’d say, this was one of the triumphs of this edition. The quality, the precision and the methodology implemented by Peers from start-to-finish to bring about projects on legal frameworks, impact measurement, best practices in leadership and advocacy practices in ecosystem-building cross regions which have outlived the PeerEx initiative itself.
Welcome to the results and findings of PeerEx 2022, brought to you by EN with the invaluable support of our members:
Meet the PeerEx Matches:
SEAL/Pulse – Regional & Cross-border advocacy
The Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia (SEAL) was matched with the regional office of Pulse (Groupe SOS) in the Balkans, located in Belgrade, Serbia. In the project entitled “From Balkans to Baltics”, Pulse visited SEAL in Riga, Latvia for 3 days during August 2022. The exchange focused on developing the relationship between the Baltics and Balkans social entrepreneurship ecosystems, including transferring knowledge on advocacy and access to finance, comparing circumstances and opportunities and exploring potentials for future collaboration.
More to come on this match soon!
SENL/ESLIDER – Developing legal frameworks
Social Enterprise NL was matched with ESLIDER, the Portuguese network of civil society and social enterprise leaders. Peers visited each other in Amsterdam and Lisbon throughout Summer-Fall, in August and October. Their project, entitled “Building strong ecosystems for social enterprises: strengthening advocacy strategies to promote specific legal frameworks” focused on exchanging experiences and know-how on how to build a strong ecosystem for social enterprises with a focus on sharing experiences on the route to a new legal entity for social enterprise. The peers foresaw a continuation of their collaboration after the PeerEx.
Reach for Change/TED University – Social Impact Measurement and Capacity Building for Educators
Reach for Change (RfC) was matched with Istasyon TEDU. From the planning stages, this match foresaw a lot of work being done online, including the realisation of workshops and online meetings to engage the larger number of social enterprises and social entrepreneurs across their networks. This match could not meet physically, although a on-site visit was planned to Istanbul, Turkey. Their project “Building bridges for Impact: Social Impact Management in the Education Sector” sought to find out the needs and the current status of SEs in the education sector in their impact measurement and management practices. Long-term, this collaboration seeks to provide networking and peer learning opportunities for these SEs within Reach for Change and Istasyon TED’s own national networks.
Ideell Arena/ACOSVO – Leadership Support Across Cultures
The Association of Chief Officers of Scottish Voluntary Organisations (ACOSVO) was matched with IDEELL ARENA, a Swedish network focused on the exchange of experience and mutual learning. This match visited each other in Edinburgh and Stockholm during the month of October 2022. The main goal of this project was to learn about how each of the organisations support the leaders within their networks. Additionally, ACOSVO sought to explore the importance of academic links with the sector, a strength of IDEELL ARENA.
We invite you to learn more about PeerEx and get to know these outstanding co-created projects. In the coming weeks, we’ll release more information on these projects, outcomes and outputs as well as check-in interviews with the Peers themselves to follow up on their continued collaboration and cooperation on the projects developed during 2022.
