In March 2014, British social entrepreneurs shared their experience and discussed the future of social enterprise in Slovenia and the EU at a conference in Ljubljana.
The aim of the conference, attended by some 200 participants, was to show how social enterprises provide an important way of tackling Europe’s current economic and social challenges, especially among young unemployed and disadvantaged populations.
As one of the leading countries in the field, the UK supports the development of social enterprise and social investment to help build a more inclusive, sustainable and prosperous future in Europe.
Slovene and UK experts looked at different types of social enterprises, explored environments they required to be successful, and examined their social and economic impact.
The conference also provided workshops for the participants, which for the most part, recognised social entrepreneurship as a good opportunity to create new jobs. Workshop presenters stressed the importance of exchanging experience and information and forming a system of mentorship. They shared their positivity about the state and EU enabling social businesses. They also identified the main obstacles in setting up a social enterprise; the lack of information and the abundant amount of paperwork.
The conference was jointly organised by The Slovene Social Enterprise Forum, the British Embassy in Ljubljana and British Council.