About the project
The consequences of the COVID-19 crisis are already leading to higher levels of individuals at risk of social exclusion, unemployment and threats to environmental political commitments. In these difficult times social enterprises are contributing directly to cushion the impact of the crisis in numerous ways, in cooperation with and by complementing the actions of public authorities, they provide a wide range of social services, especially for the most vulnerable in society.
The Municipality of The Hague and their consortium partners Euclid Network, the province of Antwerp, Region of Hannover, Social Enterprise NL, city of Aalst and Efeler District proposed the R.R.E.S.I. project to the European Commission. Collectively they bring a lot of experience and knowledge to the table, as to how local and regional governments play crucial roles in creating a favorable ecosystem for social impact. They have experienced and shown the direct benefit from social entrepreneurs’ actions and how these can be supported by taking concrete measures such as opening a dedicated hub, offer special training services, and connect social enterprises to other players in the ecosystem.
This international project and collaboration aim to focus on local approaches and policies, as well as disseminate best practices amongst other cities and regions. The Hague, Hannover, Aalst, Antwerp, and Efeler District are the leaders participating.
What was next?
R.R.E.S.I. organised 3 social economy missions to The Hague, Antwerp, and Efeler District engaging over 200 participants from 10+ countries. The network has also collected and disseminated 15 good practices on how to build a resilient local ecosystem for social impact that fosters innovation. The project fits perfectly within the goals of the EU to better stimulate social entrepreneurship.
The first workshops of the project were held on May 20th!
R.R.E.S.I. is part of the European Commission’s call for projects «Social Economy Missions» in 2020. The project is funded by the EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises COSME which aims to support networking and exchange of experience between local authorities in the field of social economy.
Project Lead
Consortium Partners
Get involved
If you would like to learn more about the R.R.E.S.I. Project, please contact Veerle Klijn.
