HOW TO TALK ABOUT LATVIA INTERNATIONALLY?
To showcase and talk about examples of social entrepreneurship in Latvia on a broader scale, from September 24 to 26, the Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia (SEAL) hosted foreign guests – the WAMA COOP Association for Social Entrepreneurship from Poland and the social enterprise KNOF from Slovenia – and introduced them to various Latvian social enterprises and organizations that incorporate adult and community education, as well as green living and sustainability into their work.
The represented fields included literature, music and performing arts, environmental adaptability, startups, green lifestyle, catering and event organizing, idea workshops, education, and more. We participated in visits, engaged in practical activities, and also held discussions, exchanging experiences with each other.
We introduced the guests not only to social entrepreneurs in Riga, but also visited the city of Jelgava, which is a great example of how a growth-promoting environment is being created not only in the capital.
And now, a little more about what we experienced:
DAY 1
In the morning of the first day of visit, representatives from three countries gathered in the cozy office of the Open Society Foundation “DOTS,” where we got to know each other a bit better. We also introduced our project partners with social entrepreneurship and the field of the social economy in Latvia, as well as the various focus areas of SEAL, one of which is education of a society.
Inga Muižniece, the founder of the social enterprise “Sonido,” shared her success story. “Sonido” is a call center for people who feel lonely and want someone to talk to. As representatives from KNOF and WAMA-COOP pointed out, neither Poland nor Slovenia has a similar phone line dedicated to people, who simply want to talk and to feel heard.
After Inga’s inspiring story, it was time to stretch our legs and to physically visit other SEAL members and explore their experiences in their actual working environments.
The first in-person visit was to the SEAL member, the non-governmental organization “Apeirons,” which actively educates the public on various issues related to improving the quality of life for people with different types of disabilities. Public education takes place in many forms – through social media and influencers, interviews in traditional media, and memorable advertising campaigns. We saw several of these campaigns in the “Apeirons” office and learned the stories behind their creation. “Apeirons” has also developed an innovative service called “Sensory Lunch,” where participants, during the meal, learn several sign language signs, gain insight into Braille, and learn about environmental accessibility.
After a lunch at the social enterprise café “Boršč in Old Town of Riga/Delicious with Ukrainian women”, which provides employment opportunities for people from Ukraine, we headed to the museum of SEAL member, the social enterprise “Invisible World.” This enterprise educates the public about vision impairments through an interactive experience. In the “Invisible World” museum, visitors, guided by a blind guide, walk through completely dark rooms and try to complete various tasks related to touch and movement. At the end of the activity, visitors have a chance to ask the blind guide various questions to better understand the daily life of a visually impaired person and the barriers they face every day.
DAY 2
On the second day of the visit, we traveled to Jelgava City, where we met the people making a difference in the city and its surrounding areas.
The day began musically with a visit to the social enterprise “BJMK Rock School” the only accredited music school offering a professional music education program in “Rock Music.” Here, not only children and young people, but also adults can fulfill their dream of learning rock music by playing rock instruments and mastering vocal skills. We saw this firsthand when one of the school’s teachers greeted us with a song and a virtuosic guitar performance.
By organizing various events, the rock school also contributes to the city’s cultural and community life, providing its students a platform to showcase their talent to a wider audience.
The city of Jelgava is actively creating an environment where social entrepreneurship and various citizen initiatives can thrive. One of the key contributors to this effort is “KOPRADE,” a special space for young people established by the Zemgale Business Center. Young people aged 13 to 25 from the Zemgale region come together here to enhance their entrepreneurial skills. The Zemgale Planning Region (ZPR) promotes not only traditional entrepreneurship, but also supports social entrepreneurs and creators of social innovation. SEAL collaborates with ZPR to promote social entrepreneurship and innovation in this region.
The Zemgale Regional Competence Development Center (ZRKAC) provides lifelong learning opportunities tailored to the needs of the Zemgale region’s residents, considering the wishes and needs of every individual. The center embraces various innovative methods and organizes a grant competition for social entrepreneurs called “Impulse.”
On the way back to Riga, we stopped by the social enterprise “Branku Brančotava,” a catering and event venue. It was established by the association “Tuvu,” which helps families in Latvia who are in need and lonely individuals. The organization also works with young people by organizing camps and events. Thanks to the profits from the charity shop “Tuvu” and the cultural venue “Branku Brančotava,” various charity projects are carried out.
DAY 3
The visit to the second-hand clothing and goods store “Otrā Elpa” (Second Breath) was a fantastic opportunity to purchase beautiful and practical souvenirs as mementos of the trip. The company’s team introduced the guests to ways of caring for the environment by applying business methods. This meeting was especially valuable for the Slovenian company KNOF, as they, like “Otrā Elpa,” specialize in the reuse and resale of clothing and furniture. Both companies shared their experiences and exchanged ideas.
From saving the planet, we moved to literature. The social enterprise “Ziedoņa klase” (Ziedonis Class) introduced the Polish and Slovenian guests to Latvia’s outstanding poet and thinker Imants Ziedonis. The organization focuses heavily on educating and inspiring teachers, because only inspired and happy teachers can make their students feel the same way. They also offer activities for children – classes can sign up for a team-building game in a closed room inspired by Imants Ziedonis’ works, where students solve various puzzles.
The day continued in an artistic atmosphere as we arrived at the creative spaces of the social enterprise “Zvaigznājs,” where young performing artists express themselves musically and creatively using modern sound and visual techniques. The studio was created by the well-known Latvian singer Agnese Rakovska, who represented Latvia in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest.
“Viskaļi” also offers workspace for creative and positively “crazy” people who want to develop their ideas, projects, or businesses while looking for a vibrant community to grow in. The large and empty former building of the Riga Technical University was given to the social enterprise “Free Riga,” which renamed the space “Viskaļi.” They’ve also been granted two other buildings in Riga, where new tenants are breathing life into these spaces.
At “Viskaļi,” the foreign guests, shared impressions, discoveries, and feelings from the past few days.
Here are a few quotes from the them:
“A great opportunity to meet like-minded people with similar life paths and challenges. After participating in such an event, I no longer feel so alone in my work. I feel positively ‘recharged.’”
“The visit program was very rich. I liked that we had the opportunity to meet representatives from various fields.”
“Great experience! I gained new ideas on how I can help develop new initiatives in NGOs in Poland.”
We extend our thanks to our members and social entrepreneurship support organizations that opened their doors to our guests and shared their stories: Sonido; Apeirons; NeredzamaPasaule.lv; BJMK; Zemgale Planning Region;, Zemgale Regional Competence Development Center; Branku Brančotava; Otrā Elpa; Ziedoņa klase; Zvaigznājs and Viskaļi.
—————————————–
The trip took place as part of the project “Think globally, act locally – international partnership for effective social entrepreneurship education,” co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ program.
How to promote collaboration between social enterprises and large companies: our success story
On September 6th, the long-cherished dream of the Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia for a meeting between social enterprises and “big” businesses came true! The event took place in the lively and beautiful spaces of the Āgenskalns market, bringing together 15 social entrepreneurs and 15 representatives from large businesses. They got to know each other, understood each other’s offers and needs, had face-to-face conversations, and worked towards forming new, socially responsible business partnerships.
Each of the 15 social enterprises gave a brief one-minute speech, introducing their company and the products or services they could offer to large businesses. Afterward, the 15 large businesses also presented their companies in one-minute pitches, outlining their needs and desires for collaboration with social enterprises.
During these valuable 15 minutes, SEAL members, the social entrepreneurs, learned that some large companies already collaborate or have collaborated in the past with SEAL members. For example, Riga International Airport has worked with “Everybody Can” (“Visi Var”) and “BlindArt”, “Rīgas Satiksme” with “Apeirons” and “DHL” with “SOS Children’s Villages” (SOS bērnu ciemati). These partnerships have been successful, so the large companies are interested in learning more about other social enterprise offerings.
While there were some overlapping interests and visions for collaboration among large companies, there was also a lot of diversity. The most frequently expressed needs included venues for corporate events, employee well-being through team-building activities and gifts, education on sustainability issues, and partnerships in material recycling.
After learning about the needs from both sides, the large and social enterprises were paired up, and within five minutes, they had the opportunity to discuss potential collaboration models face-to-face. There were three rounds of such discussions.
The event featured participation from social enterprises, SEAL members such as:
The large companies were represented by:
At the event, the Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia (SEAL) also presented a catalog of products and services offered by social entrepreneurs. This catalog includes not only social enterprises but also various organizations, associations, and foundations involved in social entrepreneurship, covering a wide range of sectors – education, culture, food services, tourism, fashion, design and more.
The event was a tremendous success, leaving everyone with an exceptionally positive experience, and we will definitely organize more in the future! A big thank you goes out to all the participants for their responsiveness and openness, as this was our first time organizing such an event! The success is also reflected in the survey results – 64% of participants indicated in the post-event survey that they had agreed to collaborate!
————————————————————
Buy Social Europe B2B project is co-financed by the EU Single Market Programme and SAP and is implemented in collaboration with Euclid Network, the Social Enterprise World Forum, Social Enterprise UK, Yunus Social Business, Social Entrepreneurship Netzwerk Deutschland (SEND), Social Enterprise NL, Reach for Change, Sustainable Procurement Pledge, Zurich Insurance, and partners from 17 countries.
Call for applications for the annual Social Entrepreneurship pitch competition
Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia in cooperation with Luminor bank keeps their tradition and organises the Social Entrepreneurship pitch or presentation competition ”Let the good ideas grow 2024”. The aim of the competition is to promote the development of existing social enterprises and new social entrepreneurship ideas, as well as to share the ideas across Latvia. This year, the total prize fund – funding to implement a social business idea or develop an organisation – is €8,000. The participation in the competition is free of charge and the application is open until 20 September: https://ej.uz/pičs_2024
The competition is open to existing and emerging social entrepreneurs from all over Latvia. They can be companies with or without social enterprise status, associations and foundations that need funding to implement a new idea or an existing project. In addition individuals who are still cherishing their social entrepreneurship idea and looking for start-up funding can also apply. The main aspect for eligibility is that an organisation or business idea fits the essence and definition of social entrepreneurship – producing goods or services to solve a social problem and benefit society.
“Year after year, we see that the prize money is an important boost for both existing and emerging social enterprises. And funding is not the only benefit – participants also gain good public visibility and recognition, learn how to present their idea professionally, and establish contacts and business partnerships with other social entrepreneurs. Every year we also introduce thematic accents – this year those top 10 participants whose product or service is a social innovation, or addresses sustainability issues, focuses on preserving nature and green course will receive special prizes,”
says Regita Zeiļa, director of Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia.
“The cooperation with the Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia and the pitch competition for social entrepreneurs has become an annual tradition. Every year it is inspiring to see new ideas and commitment to something that is relevant, topical and even unaddressed for society. We are glad that social entrepreneurs keep their finger on the pulse of society’s needs, thus also raising a need and finding solutions for it,” says Kerli Vares, Head of Luminor banka Latvia.
The competition is organised in three rounds, to apply please read the REGULATIONS (in Latvian) of the competition and fill in the APPLICATION FORM (in Latvian). The 25 strongest ideas will be shortlisted for the second round of the competition, where the participants will receive training on how to best pitch their ideas. The finale of the contest will take place on 17 October in Riga, where the ten finalists will present their ideas on the stage with a five minute pitch to the jury and a live audience across Latvia. The live broadcast of the competition will be available on “Delfi.lv”. Viewers will also have the opportunity to vote for their favourite.
Two social entrepreneurs or authors of social entrepreneurship ideas each will receive a cash prize of €4000 to develop their business or idea. The winners are determined by a jury and a live vote of the audience.
The pitch competition “Let the good ideas grow” will take place for the fifth year. Last year, 99 participants entered the competition, and the final winner was the social entrepreneurship initiative “Is it easy to put on trousers?” by Zane Bērziņa from Ogre, which produces specialised clothing for people with reduced mobility, with the aim of making their everyday life easier and helping them to integrate into society. The second winner was “BJMK Rokskola”, a social enterprise from Jelgava offering alternative music education in a supportive environment.
“Winning the pitch competition has given us the opportunity to turn a dream and an idea into reality – we have established a company that has already been granted the status of a social enterprise, created a website – online shop vilbers.com, purchased materials, created production patterns and prototypes. After the publicity of the competition, I have been contacted by countless people through social networks who are very much looking forward to this garment and are happy that finally there will be such a product on the Latvian market, and someone is thinking about the needs of these people,” says Zane Bērziņa, founder of the social enterprise “Vilbers”, after winning the 2023 competition.
The competition “Let the good ideas grow” is organised by the Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia in cooperation with Luminor bank for the fifth year with the aim to promote the development of existing social enterprises and new social entrepreneurship ideas, as well as to raise awareness about social entrepreneurship ideas and initiatives. The competition is supported by the Charity shop “Otrā elpa”, news portal Delfi.lv and the Development Finance Institution “Altum”, co-financed by the European Union (ESF project number 4.3.3.3/1/24/I/001 “Support for Social Entrepreneurship”).
