Deadline : 1st October 2023 | West Balkans Regional Incubator Social Entrepreneurs Programme
The Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs (RISE) Programme in the Western Balkans 2023 is now accepting applications. Any initiative by young people in the Western Balkans that seeks to have a positive social or environmental impact on their ecosystems is supported by RISE (Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs) and its 10 partners.
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RISE has begun its second cycle after the success of its first cycle, with an emphasis on enabling young people in the region to interact more, share ideas, and forge new connections that will advance regional reconciliation. The project will help the Western Balkans region’s young people have easier access to social entrepreneurship and contribute to the ecosystem’s growth.
Programme Specifics
- RISE focuses on assisting young activists in transforming their innovative ideas into long-lasting nonprofit organisations. Six regional incubators in the Western Balkans region run the specialised support programme RISE Journey. You will be supported at every stage by a nearby incubator that will give the business owners technical know-how and training. The Ideation Chapter and the Incubation Chapter are the two stages of the RISE Journey.
- You will get access to a number of trainings and mentoring sessions regarding social entrepreneurship and interculturality through The Ideation Chapter (from October 2023 to February 2024). You will propose your social business model that effectively and sustainably addresses the stated problem at the conclusion of the ideation chapter. Two of the top social business concepts will be chosen, and they will each get €2,500 in funding, a trip to the Western Balkans, and a local incubation programme.
- From March 2024 through June 2024, The Incubation Chapter The regional component of the support programme is still present! While going throughout the region at a regional Bootcamp to meet Risers and at the RISE expedition, which will introduce you to the region’s social entrepreneurs, you will finish the training with the goal of building a functional prototype of your idea.
Eligibility
- Open to young adults aged 16 to 35 from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia who speak English fluently enough to actively engage in an international programme. They must be in a group of at least two people and possess the following qualifications:
- Availability and readiness to engage in a programme requiring 4 hours of weekly active involvement and 3 months of ideation meetings, whether they take place online or in person.
- High drive to participate in a local intercultural programme and learn about social entrepreneurship.
- The desire to create a practical concept with societal significance.
- The readiness to pick up tips from nearby players.
- Have at least chosen a social or environmental problem they want to work on.
- The most they did was work on their idea on a limited scale or personally, without starting a true business.
- The notion has a local or regional impact.
Selection Standards
The main requirements that candidates must meet are:
- The commitment to participating completely in the three-month ideation programme, the mindset of a true change-maker, and the motivation to do so
- How the concept addresses a pressing social or environmental issue
- The likelihood that the concept will succeed as a profitable venture
- English is spoken by more than half of the team members.
- Teams that haven’t previously received funding or support from a comparable support programme that provides training to entrepreneurs will be given an advantage.
Additional points will be given if the concept: - The new idea is put into practise locally.
- Has the ability to grow or spread throughout the area.
- Has the capacity to increase employment.
- Respects the ideals of gender equality
Application
Visit RISE for additional details.
