Innovating Social Entrepreneurial Leadership Education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Innovating Social Entrepreneurial Leadership Education

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship; Social entrepreneurship / social innovation

Project Summary

The ISELE project has been designed to develop and disseminate new and innovative approaches to adult education that promote social entrepreneurial leadership training. It will equip educators and staff of CSOs and community organisers to empower and support more effective forms of active citizenship, building civil society capacities to respond to a range of key social and ecological challenges.

Civic participation requires specific skills for motivating, energising and sustaining community based active citizenship and social entrepreneurship. Across our extensive networks, we see the lack of such skills and knowledge often undermining citizens initiatives. Therefore, this project responds to a perceived deficit in the skills and knowledge required to initiate and sustain effective community and citizen led initiatives – and a corresponding lack of educational knowledge and provision. It will produce new needs-based and demand driven educational opportunities to citizens, communities and civil society networks.

The project gathers four organisations, constituting a cross-sector and multi-disciplinary collaboration, able to synergise experience and expertise in the service of innovation in educational provision: LABO vzw (Belgium), Zelena Akcija (Croatia), Ulex Project (Spain), and European Community Organising Network based in Slovakia.

They bring pedagogical expertise, experience of community education and organising, civil society mobilisation, and skill in the professional development of educators. They are embedded in extensive grassroots, community and civil society networks, so that the combined experience and capacity will lead to the development of new, wide-spread, and high-quality learning opportunities for adults.

This project will contribute to an increase in the quality and reach of educational opportunities across Europe. Our objectives include the development of conceptual and competency frameworks, an innovative curriculum and training methods, a repository of best practices, and blended learning resources, all aimed at supporting programmes for more effective social entrepreneurial leadership training.

The central activities involve the production of six intellectual outputs. Each of these will function as a stand-alone output, whilst being designed to augment and enrich the development of each other sequentially. They are:
1. Research Challenges and Review of International Best Practice
2. An Educators DIY Tool Repository
3. A Social Entrepreneurial Leadership for Active Citizenship Competence Framework
4. A Social Entrepreneurial Leadership for Active Citizenship Curriculum
5. A Training of Trainers Handbook and Practice Guide
6. Blended Learning Course Resources

In addition, staff training activities will enable an exchange of practice and equip an initial cohort of trainers able to roll-out a new educational programme across Europe based on the new curriculum. A programme of training of trainers will also be seeded by this activity. A wide range of associates will be enlisted to support trialling, provide feedback, and help to assure the quality and innovative nature of the project results.

Our primary target groups are adult educators and community organisers working within CSO’s and voluntary organisations. Secondary target groups include change-makers, activists, civically engaged citizens, and disadvantaged learners and socially marginalised groups who can benefit from acquiring skills for social entrepreneurial leadership.

The project will equip educators and staff of CSOs and community organisers to provide educational programmes that can empower and support more effective forms of active citizenship, building social capital and civil society capacities to respond to a range of key social and ecological challenges. The resources, conceptual tools, frameworks and curriculum will enable citizens across Europe to acquire new skills and competences related to social entrepreneurial leadership and active citizenship.

The resulting upskilling of citizens will enable them to initiate, develop and sustain effective initiatives. The increased success, resilience and inclusivity of these groups will enhance motivation and inspiration in a way that perpetuates further recruitment to civic participation and community engagement.

In this way, we expect the project to contribute to the revitalisation of local, national and European level civil society initiatives, including volunteerism and active citizenship. This will see communities better empowered to address key issues such as climate change, xenophobia, racism, social exclusion of various types, poverty, housing and health issues. This empowerment of community initiatives is expected to contribute to improvements in social and environmental conditions, social inclusion, cohesion and democratic principles.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 251250 Eur

Project Coordinator

LABO vzw & Country: BE

Project Partners

• ZELENA AKCIJA
• Col·lectiu Eco-Actiu
• Europska siet komunitneho organizovania