About Us

General Information

The SOCIAL-E project idea has been started from a consultation with the local women association, vulnerable groups members and local humanitarian NGOs, considering as paradigms the European Best Practices and pan European Support Actions to Social Entrepreneurship. The interest in social entrepreneurship is increasing in Europe with special focus on vulnerable groups included in SOCIAL-E proposal like unemployed women and young men, , low income families or families under the economic aid, other vulnerable groups like women leaded households, people with disabilities and special needs,, having as a common target to enhance the economic development and improve the living conditions of the specific groups of people that tend to collaborate together more closely for the benefit of the local economy. The social enterprises will exploit the unique traditional culinary (deserts, pies, bakery, nutrition bars, dried goods, bio/organic cosmetics, medicinal plants, etc), the cultural heritage (jewellery, handmade gifts, costumes, popular art, etc) and the unique tourism product (pilgrim, cultural, slow, black, mountaineering, extreme sports) as an employment opportunities of the target groups of the project.  

Municipality is in direct contact with local and national final beneficiaries, like food industries, Hotel and restaurant associations, Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Tourism, Banks and microfinancing institutions, in order to include them as supporters to the Advisory Board of the SOCIAL-E Incubator and Accelerator from the initial phases of implementation.

Project Summary

The proposed action is implemented in the Municipality of Dropull, selected as a pilot municipality from the Programme as one of the communities identified as vulnerable to cannabis cultivation and trafficking. The SOCIAL-E project is clearly targeting the main objective of call for proposals, the implementation of economically viable alternatives to cannabis cultivation through successful social enterprises exploiting the heritage and tradition of the area, with a focus on vulnerable groups including, but not limited, to young men and women. The Municipality of Dropull through the delivery of innovative Acceleration and Incubation support as public services, and with dedicated communication actions, will increase public awareness against cannabis cultivation and trafficking, providing best practices of economic viable and profitable alternatives to vulnerable groups.

Through SOCIAL-E project, the Municipality of Dropull is taking the lead role in delivering integrated employment and economic support services to the vulnerable groups and its citizens, while ensuring in addition the fiscal and administrative sustainability of interventions and their full integration with municipal decision-making structures”. The sustainability of the Centre is guaranteed, as upon approval of the project and as well, after its successful completion, the support mechanism, the staff and the related financial obligations will be included in Medium-Term Budget Programme of the Municipality. The Centre will be used as a seed for further funding opportunities for the social enterprises, from public or private investors, through the dedicated Funding Officer. 

The SOCIAL-E basic idea to develop an Innovative Incubator and Accelerator for social enterprises is in line with the objective of the call to “develop business start-up support facilities and services, self-employment and improved integration into the labour market with a special emphasis on women participation.” In addition, the renovation of an existing old school building in Dervician, as the main facility of the project is relevant to the objective of implementation of “specific small-scale infrastructure necessary to support the provision of qualitative services” for social enterprises created from vulnerable target groups. All activities will be implemented from group of citizens of the Municipality of Dropull, members of the Greek Minority in Albania, thus have clearly local ownership.

The main sectors and themes of the project include the majority of the sectors proposed in the call like: (i) private sector development through incubation and acceleration, (ii) tourism as an innovative service, (iii) cultural heritage both tangible and intangible through costumes and culinary, (iv) employment though participation to social enterprises and/or self-employment, (v) education through coaching and mentoring, (vi) rural development and youth business opportunities as alternative to illicit activities.

The SOCIAL-E include well quantified expected results, as mentioned in Section 1.2, addressing actions and results as referred to in the guidelines for applicants (i) capacity-building activities for public authorities and business associations, (ii) revitalization of municipality properties for the benefit of the citizens, (iii) innovative support models and innovation practices on economic empowerment of women, (iv) social enterprises initiatives undertaken by women, young people or other groups, (v) youth support initiatives that promote resilience and prevention of young people toward drugs and cannabis cultivation, (vi) design and implement communication plans and utilize media attention, (vii) promotion of employability of groups at risk of engaging in criminal activity of cannabis cultivation, such as youth, members of female-headed households, persons with disabilities, in the indicative fields of agrofood, creativity and tourism. 

Projects Objectives

The overall objective of the SOCIAL-E is the creation of an highly innovative Physical and Virtual Social Enterprise Accelerator and Incubator aiming at supporting vulnerable groups at the Municipality of Dropull to initialise, establish and growth social businesses. The specific outcomes of the SOCIAL-E project are:

(i) Establishment of the SOCIAL-E Acceleration and Incubation Structure including an existing building renovation, the social products shop, the management structures and incubators for at least 5 social enterprises

(ii) Create and Sustain Innovative mechanisms to establish and support social enterprises including mentoring, coaching, networking, Unique Sales Points Creation and Marketing, international presence, funding and grants

(iii) Increase public awareness again cannabis cultivation and trafficking by promoting successful paradigms and alternatives of social entrepreneurship

Target Group

(i)unemployed women and young men, low income families or families under the economic aid, other vulnerable groups like women leaded households, people with disabilities and special needs,

(ii) staff of the Municipality dedicated for managing the facilities and services 

            Final Beneficiaries

            The population of the Municipality of Dropull, members of the Greek minority in Albania, local entrepreneurs and industries, tourism professional, hotels and restaurants, policy makers, staff of the Municipality, local, national and international organizations

Estimated outputs

(i) One Unique SOCIAL-E Centre created within the first year of the project, At Least 5 social enterprises created within the project duration from at least 60 members of the selected vulnerable target groups,

(ii) At Least 20 branded products and services are introduced by the social enterprises successfully to the market through Social Shop, 1 Online Unique Sales Point in the form of e-shop is created

(iii) At least 5 Municipal Staff Members trained to permanently support the SOCIAL-E Centre during and after the end of the project

(iv) A Permanent Network of Coaches and Mentors is created to support the social enterprises during all stages of development,

(v) 2 cycles of Holistic Acceleration and Incubation are performed with dedicated seminars, selection through consultation and open calls, infodays and dedicated individual coaching sessions and living laboratories