Skopje hosts the Third RISE Regional Forum for Social Entrepreneurs
From September 12th to 14th, Skopje was the host of the third Regional Forum for Social Enterprises, a significant event in our world of social entrepreneurship, organised by RYCO. The RISE Regional Forum for Social Entrepreneurs was a three-day event with a sharp focus on the vital role of support systems and legal structures in nurturing social entrepreneurship, and platform for promoting the faces of social economy (our RISERs). .The RISE Regional Forum is an integral part of the Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs (RISE) project, receiving support from L’Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the European Union, the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), and the Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO). Under the RISE umbrella, ARNO acts as the local incubator, working alongside partners from other Western Balkans countries to implement a comprehensive program aimed at nurturing young social entrepreneurs.
The Social Enterprise Fair and Commitments to Social Economy
The forum kicked off with a traditional fair that brought together more than 50 social enterprises from the region, showcasing their products and innovations. This event was organized by RYCO in collaboration with the project “Support for the development of social enterprises,” that is supported by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Skopje, and Pacomak. The fair held immense importance as it served as a platform for key decision-makers to express their commitments to the social economy.
The fair carried significant weight as it provided a platform for influential decision-makers to reaffirm their dedication to the social economy. Among those who lent their support were Ms. Jovana Trenceska, Minister of Labor and Social Policy; H.E. David Geer, the Ambassador of the EU Delegation; H.E. Cyrille Baumgartner, the Ambassador from France; H.E. Krzysztof Grzelczyk, the Ambassador from Poland; Mr. Naumce Mojsovski, the Director of the Agency of Youth and Sport; Mr. Albert Hani, the Secretary General of RYCO; Ms. Barbara Sadowska, dedicated Team Leader for the “Project for support of the development of the social enterprises”; and Mr. Filip Ivanoski, who leads the way as Managing Director of Pakomak. Their presence and commitments at the fair made it all the more impactful.
ARNO’s Impact
As the local RISE incubator, ARNO played a significant role and garnered substantial visibility during the event. Our ARNO team showcased past and ongoing projects, including the Green Ideas Competition success stories, materials from the YouCanBe project (Handbook for SocEnts), the fresh one pager promoting the concept of Parkours for the future, a glimpse of the upcoming EU funded Coolinari4Impact project (featuring bagels and doughnuts), and distributed eco-friendly flower seed cards produced by a former Green Ideas winner.
Given the central nature of this event, ARNO also took the opportunity to promote the project “EICEE – Western Balkan Eco Innovation and Circular economy Ecosystem implemented by Association for Democratic Prosperity – Zid from Montenegro together with CEDRA from Croatia, Deli Center from Serbia, ARNO from Macedonia, Lens from Kosovo, Green Building Council from Bosnia and Hercegovina supported by European Union through call EU Civil Society Facility and Media Programme in favor of the Western Balkans and Turkey for 2021-2023 (IPA III). The fair provided a direct avenue to engage with the project’s target audience, inspiring Aleksandar Bogoevski – Coordinator on behalf of ARNO, the Project Partner from North Macedonia, to conduct a quick survey regarding the project’s activities, such as the opening of a Regional Awareness Centre with a podcast studio and the grant scheme.
