THIS WORKS Handbook of Solutions

With the support of

TABLE OF CONTENTS ACCELERATING SOCIAL INNOVATION TO FOSTER EMPLOYMENT

4

ABOUT ASHOKA

6

Everyone a Changemaker

8

WHAT A CHANGEMAKING ECOSYSTEM CAN ACHIEVE

10

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES

11

Downward Spiral 12 Upward Spiral

12

THIS WORKS

14

ACHIEVEMENTS

16

STRATEGY OF STRATEGIES

17

SOLUTIONS 19 MakeSense 19 Partners for Youth Empowerment

20

Lanzaderas 21 JobAct 22 The Future is Brighter

23

Ana Bella Foundation

24

Third Age / Fáilte Isteach

25

Siel Bleu

26

Discovering Hands

27

Vitamine T

28

Specialisterne 29 Boutiques de Gestion

30

Regionalwert AG

31

La Ruche qui Dit Oui

32

Team U

33

TEN KEY LESSONS WORTH SHARING

34

FOUR KEY POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

37

Prepared by Cristina Gabetti, Lavinia Ferné and Laura Catana

ACCELERATING SOCIAL INNOVATION TO FOSTER EMPLOYMENT IN 2014 I WAS ASKED TO LEAD THE CHALLENGE OF BRINGING ASHOKA TO ITALY. I IMMEDIATELY KNEW I WOULD BE WORKING ON ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS PROBLEMS OF MY GENERATION.

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IN SOUTHERN EUROPE IS A MAJOR CONCERN. TODAY, UNEMPLOYMENT AFFECTS NOT ONLY THE LIVES OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN GREECE, ITALY AND SPAIN, BUT IN THE LONG RUN ALL OF US.

At the time, the financial crisis of the late 90s had been left behind in most of Northern Europe, but it had turned into an economic, social and political crisis in the South. Italy was in continuous recession and the fourth Prime Minister in four years had just been sworn in. Greece was facing the perspective of leaving the EU or the Eurozone, and its citizens had sunk into a level of poverty that had been forgotten in Europe. In Spain, a quarter of adults were unemployed and the housing bubble had left many homeless. Youth unemployment was endemic, with more than 50% in the three countries looking for work without finding it. In London and Berlin, at cafés, I noticed that the Eastern European staff was being replaced by people from the South. Mass migration and brain drain had restarted.

The paradox I perceived was that Southern Europe found itself with large numbers of skilled unemployed people as well as emerging social issues to solve, without having the capital to bridge the gap. The Robert Bosch Stiftung stepped up to the challenge with the purpose of empowering people to find solutions for themselves and their communities, helping them harness the tools to solve pressing social issues, and generating opportunities for employment and self-employment.

Having a job is not only a means to make a living. It is key to being integrated in society as a whole, and to actively shape one’s own future. As a foundation, we decided to work on youth employment because we want to empower young citizens to take their futures and the futures of their societies in their own hands.

THIS WORKS sought to accelerate innovation and job creation by showcasing social enterprises that work in their native countries with the objective of replicating them in Southern Europe. It is a process that requires cultural adaptation and building trust. Ashoka, the largest network of social entrepreneurs in the world, selected 30 of its Fellows with proven solutions in the area of employment, and connected them with local partners, advisors and supporters interested in adapting

them and increasing their impact. Today, Southern Europe is a different place. Spain is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe, Italy is the only country in the G7 to grow more in 2016 than 2015. Unemployment is going down across the region, with encouraging signs regarding youth employment, too. While we cannot take credit for this, we are happy that THIS WORKS has contributed to the upward trend, in a direct and indirect way.

30 Fellows have showcased their solutions in Italy, Spain and Greece through 55 events. 17 of them are scaling to at least one of these countries, collaborating with local partners to adapt them and generate impact. In this process, we have involved over 60 partners and mobilized € 3,5 M from other sources, investing in the necessary infrastructure to develop a changemaking ecosystem in the region. 3,000 people have received training and coaching directly from these social innovation projects, or from Ashoka, and about 1,500 people found a job.

In Italy alone, Ashoka has begun an irreversible process of change: we have identified, selected and started to support seven new social innovators that address socially critical issues such as gender inequality in the workplace and fighting organized crime. Thousands of people have been involved in exploring new solutions, from the private to the public sector, from academia to schools, discovering the importance of social entrepreneurship and innovation as a way out of the crisis.

Our core message, Everyone a Changemaker, has become popular in many sectors. This success has had its challenges.

Social entrepreneurs and replication partners found it difficult to source funds, as both public and private investors favor bigger, consolidated projects. Ashoka and the Robert Bosch Stiftung opened doors and facilitated connections, provided training and one-to-one advice. However, more needs to be done. Policymakers and investors at the local, national and European level should, in everyone’s best interest, consider this experience as a source of inspiration for reform. The model we have experimented here can be applied to other challenges of our times, from global warming to migration. We hope this will spark interest and engage new partners.Join us in an alliance of innovative solutions for employment and recovery across Europe and beyond.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO TAKING THIS WORKS TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH YOU.

ALESSANDRO VALERA ASHOKA

4

Alessandro Valera Ashoka Italia Director

High rates of youth unemployment in Southern Europe have a negative impact on the European Union and the idea of a united Europe itself. One of the main goals of the Robert Bosch Stiftung is to foster international understanding and to reduce prejudices. When it became clear that the current economic situation affects the relations between Southern and Northern Europe, as well as the perceptions and opinions “Southerners” and “Northerners” have of one another, we decided to launch an initiative that serves as a statement against these trends. Our purpose, with “THIS WORKS! Ideas and Solutions for Employment and Recovery in Southern Europe” is to foster solidarity within the European Union by transferring successful social entrepreneurial ideas to Southern Europe.

We are truly proud to cooperate with a highly experienced and innovative partner like Ashoka. By combining our efforts, we were able to double our impact in supporting more youth.

We managed to support jobless individuals to feel empowered, find a job or create their own enterprise in Southern Europe.

To the Ashoka Fellows, who decided to become part of this exciting and intensive endeavor by transferring their proven and innovative solutions to Greece, Italy and Spain, and to those who dedicated their time and energy in other ways, we are greatly indebted and extremely grateful. Their ideas, their commitment and their eagerness to share their experiences are at the heart of the initiative’s success. Further, we greatly thank all partners and supporters who became part of THIS WORKS and made our alliance against youth unemployment grow in size and impact.

Without such courageous social entrepreneurs and trustful partners, THIS WORKS would not have been possible. We are convinced that the future impact of the 17 ideas, which are being scaled in a new regional context, will go far beyond the successful outcomes we see today.

ATJE DREXLER

ROBERT BOSCH STIFTUNG

The THIS WORKS Summit in Brussels on June 29, 2016 is our way of sharing with policymakers and philanthropic actors the lessons learned, the successes we enjoy and challenges we faced.

We want to inspire them to make their contribution, to support scaling innovative solutions, to address the urgency of unemployment. We, as a foundation, learned a lot, and we hope to engage others in building upon the results we all achieved. Will you help us spread successful ideas beyond borders? It is worth it.

Atje Drexler Head of International Relations Europe and its Neighbors Robert Bosch Stiftung 5

ABOUT ASHOKA THE PACE OF CHANGE IS ACCELERATING AND, AS A CONSEQUENCE, SOCIAL PROBLEMS ARE INTENSIFYING WORLDWIDE. HOWEVER, WE KNOW FOR A FACT THAT HUMANITY CAN LIVE AND WORK DIFFERENTLY. PEOPLE, BUSINESSES, ORGANIZATIONS, COMMUNITIES AND NATIONS ARE COMING TO REALIZE THAT THERE IS NO OTHER WAY BUT TO START JOINING FORCES, TO RE-THINK OUTDATED MODELS OF DEVELOPMENT AND TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE, FOR THE GOOD OF ALL, ALL THE TIME. Ashoka is in the heart of this process of transformation, with its vision: everyone can be a changemaker. Ashoka believes that everyone should be given the opportunity to become the kind of human being who is fully equipped and inclined to change the world for the better, to thrive and help others thrive in the modern world. People who work to build a society where they become confident and capable to respond to problems quickly, where any challenge or opportunity can be embraced through leadership and teamwork.

Ashoka is the largest global network of leading social entrepreneurs, pattern-changers and innovators, who work towards solving some of the world’s biggest social challenges.

Ashoka increases the impact of solutions to outrun problems, by activating and connecting powerful communities of changemakers.

We believe that this dynamic, which expands through the engagement of key partners, can ignite a self-multiplying, irreversible movement.

SELECTING AND SUPPORTING LEADING SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS For 35 years, Ashoka has been at the forefront of identifying and supporting leading social entrepreneurs who are changing patterns and transforming systems.

Venture is the mechanism through which Ashoka selects them as Fellows.

Fellowship is the program through which they get financial, strategic and networking support once elected. Fellows are selected according to their personal drive, creativity and ethical fiber, their unique approach to solving a social problem and the impact their solution generates. They are iconic changemakers and impactful entrepreneurs. 57% of them shape national public policy within five years of their election. Ashoka supports Fellows financially for up to three years and grants them unlimited access to a network of experts and peers from across the globe.

One of the fastest-growing social challenges is unemployment, which is addressed pervasively by the Ashoka ecosystem.

SECTOR AND ISSUE AGNOSTIC.

WORLD'S LARGEST COMMUNITY OF LEADING SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS OVER 3,300 ACROSS 86 COUNTRIES.

IMPACT OF ASHOKA FELLOWS 5 YEARS AFTER ELECTION:

SUPPORTS PEOPLE NOT PROJECTS.

BUILDS AN ECOSYSTEM

BY CONNECTING SOCIAL AND BUSINESS SECTORS.

76% Have already changed national patterns in their field.

54% Have changed market dynamics at national level.

57% Have contributed to reformed and improved national policy.

52% Have achieved changes in the code of conduct, mission statement, or official policy of a large organization or industry at national level.

54%

BUILDING NEW LEARNING ECOLOGIES Ashoka has created a network of Changemaker Schools and Campuses, an international community of leading academic institutions that value as key assets the power of empathy, teamwork, creativity and leadership. Ashoka’s aim is to build new learning ecologies in which whole communities work together to provide every young person with journeys that help them become a changemaker. This will unleash systemic change in the way schooling is being experienced, in order to allow students to express and own their vision of aworld of opportunities, and enable them to gain the necessary tools to navigate the unknown.

CULTIVATING BUSINESS ALLIANCES In an increasingly complex world, players can no longer single-­ handedly seek solutions to global issues. Social entrepreneurs have powerful ideas, but reaching out to larger audiences remains a challenge. On the other hand, corporations have the capacity to operate on a big scale, but are often unaware of the opportunities to efficiently tackle pressing social issues. Drawing on this untapped potential, Ashoka promotes innovative alliances between social entrepreneurs and businesses. By uniting different strengths, they take on challenges that, alone, could not be solved. This is how Ashoka brings down barriers between industries and builds new forms of collaboration.

“Ashoka is the only opportunity I found to REALLY use my competences and skills and to help promote social progress.

It is also a unique place to meet and exchange with great people who share my same values.”

ASN Member, France

ENGAGING THE ASHOKA SUPPORT NETWORK The Ashoka Support Network is a global community of successful, innovative leaders and professionals from a variety of fields who see entrepreneurship as the primary engine for economic and social development. By becoming members, they engage with Ashoka and its Fellows, committing time and financial resources to support the work of social entrepreneurs.

Have achieved national impact to fully include marginalized groups in society.

56% Have achieved business-social congruence at national level.

66% Are building a culture of changemaking and social entrepreneurship.

6

SHAPING HYBRID FINANCE MODELS When looking across the field of social finance, from venture philanthropy (strategic grant giving), to impact investment (investment in for-profit social businesses), there is a huge gap in financing solutions. The Hybrid Finance Initiative was born to provide the missing piece in the social finance ecosystem.

It supports social enterprises transition towards a hybrid model, one capable of offering independence and sustainability. It provides social entrepreneurs tailored guidance and expertise, to help them develop a hybrid business model, the right corporate and capital structure, and the means to expand their projects.

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EVERYONE A CHANGEMAKER AN ECOSYSTEM OF CHANGEMAKERS

EUROPE

Changemakers are everywhere. This map represents the unique network of social entrepreneurs, youth changemakers, and education innovators who are spreading our vision globally.

469 1,225 56 3 3,496 316

Fellows

Ashoka Country Office

Youth Venture Teams

Changemaker Schools

Ashoka Hub Office

Ashoka U Campuses Changemaker Projects

Ashoka Champions

NORTH AMERICA 270 4,216 69 28 8,546 201

MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA 102 11 621 21

Fellows Youth Venture Teams

Youth Venture Teams

Changemaker Schools Ashoka U Campuses Changemaker Projects

Ashoka Champions

LATIN AMERICA

450 8,910 40 5,243 16

Changemaker Projects

Youth Venture Teams

Changemaker Projects

20%

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

17%

EDUCATION

Changemaker Schools

Ashoka U Campuses Changemaker Projects

Ashoka Champions

Ashoka Champions

Ashoka Champions

CIVIC PARTICIPATION

Youth Venture Teams

Changemaker Schools

Ashoka U Campuses

980 656 10 1 6,109 62

Fellows

Fellows

Youth Venture Teams

Changemaker Schools

17%

ASIA

AFRICA

Fellows

BY IMPACT SECTOR

Changemaker Projects

Ashoka Champions

985 3,929 34 3 6,512 60 FELLOWS

Fellows

12%

ENVIRONMENT

16%

18%

HUMAN RIGHTS

HEALTH

* Ashoka Champions help spread our vision. These include current staff, Ashoka Support Network Members, media partners and business leaders.

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9

WHAT A CHANGEMAKING ECOSYSTEM CAN ACHIEVE IT SAVES PUBLIC MONEY

CHANGEMAKERS MULTIPLY

Danielle Desguées’s Boutiques de Gestion supports over 17,000 companies every year, creating over 26,000 jobs.

In 2010 a McKinsey study evaluated BGE’s economic impact in Île-de-France at € 8.3 M. By scaling her work further in France to reach an additional 32,000 companies, Danielle could contribute to a public saving of € 182 M.1

In 2012, more than 50% of the millennials said they would take a pay cut 3 to find work that matches their values, while 90% wanted to use their skills for good.4

For each euro invested in José María Pérez Peridis’s Lanzaderas, € 2.8 return to society. The impact is expected to grow from 1,100 unemployed connected through 55 Launchpads (2015), to 11,350 unemployed and 454 Launchpads in 2019, 2 radically increasing the participants’ ability to work in teams and find a job.

The Executive in Residence Program has already engaged over five dozen executives from companies such as Western Union and Boehringer Ingelheim, to travel far and wide and partner with Ashoka Fellows, to create lasting change while accessing cutting-edge innovation and exposure to new markets.

1 Ashoka and McKinsey & Company, Etude d’impact de l’entrepreneuriat social, 2012.

2 Telefonica Foundation, Evaluation of Social Impact of Employment Launchpads, Spain 2016.

3 Net Impact, Talent Report: What Workers Want in 2012.

4 Society for Human Resource Management, Gurchiek K, Millennial’s Desire to Do Good Defines Workplace Culture, 2014.

SOCIAL PROBLEMS ARE SOLVED THROUGH BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

JOBS ARE CREATED AND GOOD MODELS ARE ADOPTED

In 2014, more than 24% of the population in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion.5 The estimated market for these untapped expenses was € 221 B in seven countries alone6 . For example:

Through the work of Specialisterne in Spain, in just over two years 43 individuals with autism found meaningful employment in software testing, programming or data-entry jobs. The result is ten times a lower fault rate. Operating in 32 locations in 15 countries around the world, Specialisterne has already trained and employed more than 1,000 individuals with autism.

IN 2012, FOR 15 MILLION UNEMPLOYED

the potential market to reduce costs associated with unemployment was € 72 B.

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES

DOWNWARD SPIRAL

UPWARD SPIRAL

With rising national debt, reduced public spending and fluctuating growth rates, Southern Europe’s turbulent times are far from over. Despite many efforts, recovery is slow. One of the most dramatic consequences of this decade-long crisis is high unemployment, a dire price now being paid by almost 22 million people across Europe. 19.6% of Europeans age 25 and under are unemployed, and the numbers rise to 48.9% in Greece, 46% in Spain, and 38.6% in Italy.7

Social entrepreneurs trigger an upward spiral by identifying and removing the main barriers to employment and launching powerful solutions to drive systemic change. They pinpoint the main drivers of transformation, those factors that need to be addressed and leveraged in order to have an impact in solving pressing social issues. Then they develop innovative solutions that can trigger the desired change in the communities or groups they work with. Social entrepreneurs identify four drivers which can help guide a new approach to employment in Southern Europe. Their ideas respond to the vision of an ecosystem of changemakers, which increases public engagement and individual participation, where each person and each collaboration can contribute to the social and economic success of their countries.

The effects are negative for the economy and they increase the risk of social exclusion. This level of youth unemployment puts an entire generation of Europeans at risk. More than 18 million young people ages 20-34 fall in the category of NEET - not employed, educated, or in training.8 There is urgent need for new perspectives to inspire and empower them to break the circle of isolation and depression and become agents of change. Social entrepreneurs respond to that need. In the downward spiral of interwoven social, political and economic issues, they have pinpointed four main barriers to new employment opportunities. Obstacles that can be challenged and overcome.

FOR 63 MILLION AT RISK OF FINANCIAL EXCLUSION

the financial market for vulnerable populations was estimated at € 12 B.

5 Eurostat, People at risk of poverty or social exclusion, 2015.

6 Ashoka and Accenture, Business & Impact: Inventing new models at the crossroads of the social, business and public sectors to address societal challenges, France 2013.

7 Eurostat, Unemployment Statistics, 2016.

8 Eurostat, NEET Statistics, 2015.

11

DOWNWARD SPIRAL

SKILLS GAP As entire industries disappear, new sectors and new working patterns are emerging. Lifelong jobs will become increasingly rare. 65% of today’s primary school children will work in a profession that does not exist today.9 Students make career choices that are influenced by the past, unaware of current and future opportunities and requirements. They thus have a limited ability to make the best choices. In a world of exponential change and major shifts in employment patterns, changemaking skills, creativity, adaptability, courage and vision are becoming essential. Most current education systems are not yet equipping people with the necessary learning experience to succeed. Traditional methods of repetition and memorization, which prevail in European schools, do not foster self-esteem, problem-solving, teamwork and leadership.

MISMATCHED TALENTS AND SHORT-SIGHTED PERSPECTIVES Despite high levels of unemployment, almost two million jobs in Europe are vacant.10 Yet 38% of employers have trouble filling positions.11 This is because the means available to the unemployed remain largely unchanged. It is most common for them to visit a government-funded employment agency, where they are faced with an uninspiring experience, applying for outdated training programs or oversubscribed vacancies. They have little hope of landing a job. Most state subsidized unemployment programs do not encourage entrepreneurship and long-term solutions, rather they create a form of reliance on external support. Employers, on their part, are still trying to catch up on new recruiting mechanisms needed to identify and nurture talent, as well as match the right candidates with the right jobs.

I NEED SUPPORT!

DEVELOPING SOFT SKILLS FOR A CHANGING LABOR MARKET To succeed in today’s rapidly evolving world, we draw inspiration from over 1,000 social entrepreneurs who constantly innovate the way we experience learning. They teach us to ensure that young and old people develop their problem-solving potential, becoming creative, proactive and empathic team-­ players. These skills need to be integrated in new and existing education and recruitment programs, through initiatives that emphasize strengths rather than weaknesses, and connect personal abilities to real-life opportunities. When youth go out of school feeling empowered and confident, they turn intentions and interests into resources, thus removing barriers and gaining access to employment opportunities, or creating them.

Read more on pp. 19–22 about MakeSense, Partners for Youth Empowerment, Lanzaderas and JobAct.

DOWNWARD SPIRAL

UPWARD SPIRAL

I NEED TO DEVELOP MY SKILLS!

CRITICALITIES FOR DISADVANTAGED GROUPS Disadvantaged groups are often marginalized in the labor market, at risk of long-term social and economic oblivion.

Migrants are foreign to local systems, culture and language; people with disabilities are over 20% more likely to be unemployed 12 because of the false perception that they generate less value; elders, although experienced, are often excluded, socially and financially. Parents often have a hard time conciliating work with family needs, women tend to be paid less and LGBT people are recurrently discriminated on the workplace. Overall the labor market lacks flexibility and open-mindedness, and fails to recognize how different groups with different skills can add social and economic value in all sectors. Corporations, often driven by short-term economic objectives, struggle to integrate social priorities into their value chains.

THE DISADVANTAGED: SPOTTING AND UNLEASHING THE POWER WITHIN To be at the forefront of innovation, companies need to untap the potential of a culturally and physically diverse workforce.

Recognizing people for what they are worth, giving them trust and empowerment to follow their ideas is essential for long term economic development. Supporting women, disabled, youth, elders and parents to discover their passions and potential is key to building a new configuration of the labor market.

Social entrepreneurs have proven that focusing on the strengths of each individual, such as the enhanced analytical skills of the autistic, or the heightened sense of touch of the blind, is the winning strategy for long-term efficiency in business, wellbeing and development.

Read more on pp. 24–29 about Ana Bella Foundation, Third Age, Siel Bleu, Discovering Hands, Vitamine T and Specialisterne.

MATCHING TALENTS

OBSTACLES TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP

FOSTERING ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Social entrepreneurs have developed holistic, simple, yet innovative approaches to place young people in the labor market. And most of them learned that the key lies in helping students and job seekers nourish and implement their own meaningful paths of personal and professional evolution.

By combining mentoring with work experience, training and job placement, they enable job seekers to become self-determined individuals, capable of making informed education and career choices. Job seekers and youth develop future-proof skills, while companies learn and adopt new strategies to hire and boost the talents they need. Social entrepreneurs are incentivizing companies to open new recruiting channels and developing access to career opportunities for young people.

Entrepreneurship is one of the key drivers of the European economy and is becoming increasingly crucial as the global market becomes more uncertain and complex. Small to medium-­sized businesses provide 67% of total employment.13 Despite this, many European countries still focus their efforts and policies in preparing people for supposedly more secure careers in big corporations and in public companies. This outdated approach has created the false perception of entre­ preneurship and self-employment as risky and undesirable.

The first challenge in building nurturing environments for entrepreneurship is to make it an attractive and accessible career option. Social entrepreneurs do this through gaming, educational and experiential learning opportunities, where youth and would-be entrepreneurs are empowered to try, fail, and try again. Social entrepreneurs need support to start scaling their impact, as do job seekers trying to test their chance as entrepreneurs. One to one advice on the design of business ideas, business plans and access to capital are invaluable. Individual and group counselling can significantly prevent and safely manage failure, offer peer support and trigger creative problem solving and collaboration. Co-working spaces, where people can experiment, communicate, exchange and work together, are an added value to other community members as well.

Read more on pp. 21–23 about Lanzaderas, JobAct and The Future is Brighter.

9 Davidson C, Now you see it: How Technology and Brain Science Will Transform Schools and Business for the 21st Century, 2011.

10 Eurostat, Job Vacancy Statistics, 2016 11 ManpowerGroup, Talent Shortage Survey, 2015.

12

UPWARD SPIRAL

Therefore, entrepreneurs face a wide range of obstacles when starting new ventures, from access to finance and bureaucracy, to developing skills and gathering insight from peers and mentors. These barriers hinder their progress and their chances of scaling sustainable ventures capable of providing tools for employment and generating value for their entire communities.

Read more on pp. 30–33 about Boutiques de Gestion, Regionalwert AG, La Ruche qui Dit Oui and Team U.

12 Handicap International and French Agency for Development, Global situation of people with disabilities.

13 European Commission, Annual Report on European SMEs, 2015.

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THE PROCESS SELECTING SOLUTIONS - KEY CRITERIA

Launched in spring 2014 by Ashoka, with the support of Robert Bosch Stiftung THIS WORKS aimed to accelerate proven social innovations in the field of employment in Southern Europe and kickstart local ecosystems for social entrepreneurship.

Over the past two years over 60 partners have been involved in reaching this goal and contributed with financial and in kind support, among whom The Hellenic Initiative (Greece), Fondazione Vodafone (Italy) and Fondacion Ico (Spain).

Since the program was launched, Ashoka and the Robert Bosch Stiftung have worked together to look for solutions in various countries and help replicate them in Greece, Spain and Italy where local communities are eager to attract and adapt them to their specific conditions and needs. THIS WORKS is the first ever Ashoka program in Italy and Greece and has represented an opportunity to lay the foundations of a whole range of activities to support social entrepreneurs in these countries and reinforce the Spanish ones.

THIS WORKS drew inspiration from the Globalizer Program, Ashoka’s program that brings together social entrepreneurs, established business leaders and consultants with relevant experience, to jointly develop new effective strategies to scale social innovation. Built upon the same principle, GlobalizerX on Employment lies at the heart of THIS WORKS and has been strategic for the 15 international Fellows who were selected to work on scaling their projects. Over the course of two years, we decided to increase the pool of international solutions to bring to Southern Europe reaching 32, in order to better reflect the needs and interest of local communities. Thus we devised a process aimed at attracting and supporting them on a case-by-case basis, to ensure a tailored development of each idea in a specific geography and culture.

SCALING THIS WORKS SOLUTIONS IN SOUTHERN EUROPE

Showcasing

14

Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

1

A system-changing innovation, with sufficient evidence to prove positive results in the field of employment and entrepreneurship.

2

PREPARING SOLUTIONS FOR SCALE-UP

3

SHOWCASING SOLUTIONS

4

FINDING PARTNERS

5

SUPPORTING TRANSFER OF INNOVATION

6

CREATING AN ECOSYSTEM

A solution addressing an area of significant need in the regional or national context with the potential to attract local champions and finance.

International and local partners’ interest and commitment to implement or adapt the solution to the new context.

Enable participating social entrepreneurs and their teams to explore and develop a strategy for spreading their idea through the GlobalizerX program or on a case-by-case basis.

Tailored interactive events to present selected projects and connect social entrepreneurs, key stakeholders and potential investors, and help create new collaborations and replication.

Ashoka prepares the ground and facilitates contacts through meetings with local partners to open perspectives on the scaling process. Ashoka also coordinates follow-up and connects Fellows to local replicators, strategic partners and advisors.

Ashoka offers ongoing support to Fellows and local teams by matching them with further consultants where necessary, disseminating information in the media, inviting Fellows to follow-up events and helping them become independent.

Launching new programs for local changemakers and innovators to support their growth and development, and connect them with investors and experts through Venture and Fellowship, Ashoka Changemaker Schools and Impact Program.

Scaling local impact

15

ACHIEVEMENTS

STRATEGY OF STRATEGIES HARNESSING THE EXPERIENCE OF THE ASHOKA ECOSYSTEM TO SCALE SOCIAL IMPACT

17

HOW CAN ASHOKA FELLOWS SCALE THEIR WORK BETTER AND FASTER? When looking at conventional business models, monetary gains shadow related problems and risks, such as loss of quality control, personalized services and sustainability. Scaling a social enterprise reverts the equation: financial resources are difficult to secure and bigger is not always better. Infact, the experience of Ashoka is proving that serving more people inevitably means dealing with more issues. Aiming to increase the scale of a social impact venture might not necessarily be the best strategy to deal with this greater complexity.

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS HAVE STARTED THE SCALING PROCESS

3,500

What are the best strategies for social enterprises to grow and how can we help them design and implement these strategies?

PEOPLE TRAINED

When scaling social innovations across borders, often a combination of these pathways is used to create a tailored strategy.

PEOPLE FOUND A JOB IN ITALY, SPAIN OR GREECE

32 Ashoka Fellows or their staff participated in events in Italy, Spain and Greece to present their solutions and scale them locally, while 6 other solutions have been presented by Ashoka staff.

SETTING NEW STANDARDS Advocacy campaigns Movements 150+ articles and dozens of videos about THIS WORKS published on major media outlets such as Forbes, El confidencial, Reuters, Corriere della Sera.

15 new Ashoka Support Network members: 8 in Italy, 3 in Greece, 3 in Spain.

Over € 3.5 M mobilised and potential for € 1 M in 2016, in addition to Robert Bosch Stiftung’s € 1 M investment.

More than 65 pro-bono advisors and consultants involved and providing local support after the program.

PARTNERSHIPS AND AFFILIATION Licensing Local partnerships and piggybacking Smart networks

60+ partners actively engaged with Ashoka to support the social entrepreneurship and employment ecosystem in Southern Europe.

Following the successful experience of scaling solutions in new regions, THIS WORKS has enabled Ashoka to perfect and adapt the methodology to new critical areas such as integration of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Europe, and to increase impact through partnerships such as “Fabric of Change” with C&A Foundation and “Tackle Fuel Poverty” with Schneider Electric Foundation.

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To help an idea travel, social entrepreneurs must return to the essence of why they started their work. Too often their organizations have grown opportunistically – expanding and evolving based on funding or connections available at a given time, rather than with a clear focus on their original mission and full market potential. As one Globalizer participant put it, “I started the organization to work on a problem. Somewhere along the line, building the organization became larger than the mission.”

SCALING PATHWAYS FOR SOCIAL INNOVATIONS

1,500 54 events and official meetings hosted or co-hosted with local partners in three countries.

To answer this question, Ashoka launched the Globalizer program in 2009. By identifying Fellows and bringing them together with experienced international business entrepreneurs, this program supports the creation of practical tools and tailored support for scaling social impact.

DISSEMINATION - OPENING THE IDEA FOR REPLICATION

GROWING THE ORGANIZATION TO SCALE IMPACT

Open-Source Capacity building

Subsidiaries/Branches Mergers and acquisitions Franchises

17

To remain focused on their mission and avoid growing opportunistically, social entrepreneurs must learn to transition “from an enterprise to an ecosystem.” 14 In order to unleash the power of their innovation, they need to let go of it, allowing others to take it in unforeseen directions and affect change globally. Working as a network, along shared missions, allows members to collaborate directly, learn from each other, and pursue funding and program goals together.

The level of control over an idea can determine the choice of one scaling strategy or another. Different approaches allow social entrepreneurs and replicators to expand coherently with their mission and break traditional business patterns. Below are just some of them. The pathways described in the next pages are by no means mutually exclusive and can be overlapping in their applications. Many social entrepreneurs employ a combination of them to increase the impact of their work.

Partnerships and Affiliation based on agreements among existing organizations committed to the same goals and/ or using the same methodology/model to create or join a network. The affiliates may agree to co-create programs, share innovations and a common brand, access funding opportunities together.

The challenge is to control the level of brand consistency.

Licensing is often used in combination with Partnerships and Affiliation.

It consists of an agreement whereby a contractual owner of a program or activity gives permission to another to use the model or engage in activities that relate to it. Although not a very costly scaling strategy, the relationship is loose, with little support offered to the licensee.

Capacity building involves the provision of information, materials and assistance to those interested in bringing a model to their community. This approach has a low start-up cost and is fast paced, but coordination and monitoring might be challenging.

Piggybacking enables social entrepreneurs to spread a model or methodology by leveraging the scale of others – government, policy change, local organizations, replicators with expertise in the field. This approach might have a lower cost and prove faster, increasing impact, however scaling might not always be the partner’s focus.

Open source is ideal for people seeking a rapid diffusion of their solution. People whose know-how can be freely shared with beneficiaries and other stakeholders to turn them into co-creators who collaborate for a common purpose.

The power of this approach lies in the engagement of the crowd, tapping into people’s natural motivation.

A great example is Ashoka Fellow Darrel Hammond’s KaBOOM! – the organization that builds playgrounds in low-income communities across the United States, with the goal of giving every child a safe space to play within walking distance of their home. When KaBOOM made the decision to open-source its playground model, it found that in 2009 only, other people built as many playgrounds as KaBOOM! itself had built in the previous 14 years.15 Indeed, today “local communities build ten KaBOOM!-influenced playgrounds for each one KaBOOM! builds itself.”

Smart Networks leverage or collaborate across groups in ways that are greater than the sum of their parts. This leads to integrated thinking, interdependent action and international systems change.

Smart Networks require generous sharing to provide value to others, which makes them powerful, cost-effective tools to increase access to information, financing and other resources.

MAKESENSE

Ashoka Fellow from South Africa, Kovin Naidoo, spent time and energy to create a coalition that was instrumental in sealing a large grant for substantial work across South Africa. However, his organization, the International Centre for Eyecare Education, did not receive any of the funds directly. When other members of the coalition later approached them to carry out significant aspects of the project, they ended up with a better outcome than if they had ventured out on their own.

makesense.org

THE IDEA

Can we accelerate positive social change drawing from the collective intelligence of a global network of citizens? Christian Vanizette’s answer was to design an accessible yet structured methodology for social entrepreneurs to resolve their strategic and operational challenges within a short period of time, thanks to the input of a team of volunteers.

THE PERSON

Christian comes from a socially engaged French Polynesian family and developed a strong interest for innovation and social entrepreneurship at a young age. During a trip to Asia he met social entre­ preneurs and realized how difficult it was for them to find solutions to their problems, and to the challenges of innovation. The blog he wrote on his experience had thousands of followers, and that is how he saw the potential of a global community of young people supporting social entrepreneurs.

Setting new standards. Advocacy campaigns and movements aimed at policy change contribute to creating new public policies and norms to influence mass behavior. Building a movement requires coordination, sustaining momentum, maintaining focus and alignment, careful monitoring. The benefits can be faster implementation, access to new resources, unleashing long-term coherence, impact and visibility.

THE PROJECT

MakeSense is an open-source collaborative platform where social entrepreneurs can present their problems to a community of highly committed volunteers. They work both online and offline, defining the best approach to analyze and find solutions to the challenge. Then they mobilize a team of problem solvers inside the community to offer support and participate in workshops or hold-ups to identify and discuss concrete solutions with the entrepreneur. As members share challenges and solutions, they contribute to refining the methodology which constantly evolves, increasing efficiency and social impact.

A great example is Ashoka Fellow Jack Sim, who put Singapore on the world map for clean public toilets. He soon realized there were many others toilet associations, but with no channels to facilitate information-sharing and gathering of resources. So in 2001 he founded the World Toilet Organization (WTO), which aligns citizen groups, budgets, and government agendas to underscore the urgency of proper sanitation. WTO now spans over 42 countries and World Toilet Day has been established by the UN. Large-scale success can only come from collaboration. Social entrepreneurs are characterized by the ability to see over the horizon and are quietly shaping new pathways to scale their vision. In doing so, they are ensuring that the best ideas reach their full potential: to solve intractable social problems and improve countless lives around the world.

Ashoka Fellow Danielle Desguées from France used piggybacking and capacity building to scale her entrepreneurship support method by backing local partners such as Fundación Ico in Spain and Consorzio Mestieri in Italy to acquire tools and knowledge and to integrate and adapt the solution in their own organizations.

IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES WE HAVE SELECTED 15 SOLUTIONS THAT ARE BEING REPLICATED IN SOUTHERN EUROPE.

Most Fellows are interested in building local partnerships, piggybacking on existing organizations operating in their fields and forming smart networks, versus creating subsidiaries and franchises. Many do so by open-sourcing materials, thus enabling local organizations to adapt their methodologies.

14 Harvard Business School Press Books, Elkington J and Hartigan P, The Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets that Change the World, 2008.

THE IMPACT

To date, MakeSense has supported more than 1,800 social entrepreneurs for free and hosted 2,000 workshops to solve social challenges. By doing this, Christian has developed a network of 10,000 Sensemakers in 100 cities around the world, engaging over 30,000 people. Moreover, Christian and his team developed a business branch to finance their non-profit activities by selling their services to companies who seek innovative solutions to their problems.

Following a period of expansion around the world, the aim for the next three to five years is to strengthen MakeSense’s presence in Southern Europe in order to help more scalable solutions for the integration and employment crises to emerge and grow.

SCALING Showcasing

MakeSense launched in Spain in 2014 with a Sense Camp that gathered international members of the community and locals interested in social entrepreneurship. Ashoka offered significant support through connections to national organizations, communication and events. There was considerable progress in 2015, as the community members increased and over 16 hold-ups were organized. Moreover a second, bigger Sense Camp on education took place in Madrid in partnership with Ashoka.

In 2016 they also collaborated with a local Ashoka project to support young change­makers and a SenseCube incubation program is in the pipeline for 2017.

Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

Ashoka Italy introduced Christian to advisors from Unilink in 2014. Up to date, MakeSense has mobilized a community of volunteers in various cities who organize regular Sense Drinks (meetings of the local community) and hosted 20 hold-ups.

In July 2015, Ashoka and MakeSense launched DreamStorming to support four social entrepreneurs. Given its success, Luiss University invited MakeSense to co-organize a second similar event.

Ashoka also facilitated a partnership with Enel for innovation workshops.

To date, the local team is composed of 136 members, focusing on food security, in view of a MKS room, an event blending live performances with talks.

Scaling local impact

Ashoka is supporting Christian to scale MakeSense in Greece, where a small community of volunteers is coming together. Three hold-ups have taken place and Christian and his team are looking into collaboration opportunities with universities and companies such as SAP and CISCO. In 2014, through Ashoka, Christian was also invited to speak at the University College in Thessaloniki and build the local community there. Over the past year, Ashoka has been co-creating a partnership proposal with MakeSense for Coca Cola in Greece, which could give a rapid push to the local operations of MakeSense.

15 The Monitor Institute, McLeod Grant H and Fulton K, Breaking New Ground: Using the Internet to Scale. A Case Study of KaBOOM!

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19

PARTNERS FOR YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

LANZADERAS

pyeglobal.org

lanzaderasdeempleo.es

THE IDEA

THE IDEA

Young people are disengaged from school, their communities and the wider world, and education is failing to respond to changing economies, leaving youth unprepared to thrive in the modern workplace.16 Collectively we have the knowledge and ability to help new generations live meaningful and engaged lives. By training youth workers, educators and teachers to weave the arts and empowerment techniques into their work, Partners for Youth Empowerment (PYE) helps teens find their creativity, motivation, and emotional hearing about themselves and the world. They, thus, become proactive individuals, determined to shape their future and embrace new roles as changemakers.

Unemployment leads to isolation, as people often resist sharing their vulnerabilities. Desperate and insecure, they are in the worst position to find a new job. This is why José Maria Gonzales Pérez (Peridis) launched Lanzaderas in Spain. His program boosts employment, entrepreneurship and team building through a collaborative model based on the mutual support of peers.

THE PERSON

Architect by training, Peridis launched Trade School Workshops in 1985, to re-skill the unemployed and provide them with jobs in restoration. He initially chose this over other sectors because it was an unmet need, and contributed to the conservation of many Spanish historical buildings. The development Peridis promoted was based on local needs, and tied together communities and historic heritages.

More recently, the extremely high unemployment rates in Spain drove him to expand his activity to other areas of the market, focusing on unexploited skills of the unemployed.

THE PERSON

Charlie’s dedication to change began early. His experience at a teen camp, combined with a 20-year musical career, inspired his passion for providing transformative experiences to the young.

His ongoing commitment is to integrate the arts in youth programs and to train facilitators.

Charlie and his international team seek to move creativity, empathy, and changemaking from the periphery to the very core of education.

THE PROJECT

The project revolves around several Lanzaderas, or “shuttles”. Each Lanzadera consists of a coach and a group of 20 job seekers age 20 to 60, who agree to work in teams, helping each other find a job, start a new activity or improve professional qualifications. Every person actively seeks employment for him or herself and others. The aim is to increase the overall skills of participants by analyzing their capabilities, strengthening their self-esteem, creating individual contacts and collective networks, and learning to work in teams.

THE PROJECT

PYE provides tools and strategies for youth to be successful players in a changing world, where new skills are needed to thrive in the job market. Through creative trainings, PYE enables educators to engage their students using the Creative Community Model, which fosters a supportive environment where students can connect with their purpose, interests, and values and acquire changemaking skills.

These transformative learning experiences unlock the potential of young people, empowering them to lead social innovation and actively contribute to healthy economic growth.

THE IMPACT

The project is growing exponentially in Spain. Five pilot Lanzaderas in 2013 became 43 in 2014 and 180 in April 2016, reaching over 3,200 unemployed. The Region of Cantabria has adopted the model as a public employment policy. In 2015 Peridis received funding from the European Social Fund and Fundación Telefónica to further scale the program to 550 Lanzaderas in Spain by 2019, aiming to reach 11,000 unemployed. He hopes to soon launch the first Lanzaderas in Portugal, Italy and at least a couple of other EU countries Over 60% of the unemployed participating in a Lanzadera find a job, that is 20.9 percentage points more than those who have not. Also Trade School Workshops are being funded by government unemployment subsidies and have graduated half a million people, of which 80% have found jobs.

THE IMPACT

Overall, between 2009 and 2015 PYE and partners reached an estimated 1,220,000 youths by training 13,700 practitioners operating in 12 countries. By 2020, PYE aims to reach one million youths per year, by training 10,000 practitioners and working in partnership with organizations around the world.

A major focus of PYE’s strategy in Southern Europe will be to empower teachers to in turn empower students. They will test, evaluate PYE teacher trainings and build strategic partnerships in 2016 and 2017, in order to establish on-going access to teacher training in Greece, Cyprus, Spain and Turkey by 2018.

SCALING

SCALING Showcasing

Ashoka Spain has helped PYE make key connections to start the replication process in Spain. In 2016, PYE delivered a Creative Classroom training to the faculty of Blanquerna University, a Jesuit University at the forefront of innovation in education.

Ashoka Spain also offered financial and outreach support for PYE’s first Creative Facilitation training in Barcelona that helped PYE connect with partners and potential facilitators who can replicate the model. The training was attended by 24 people from 16 organizations, from Barcelona and Catalonia, Madrid and also France.

Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

Charlie was invited by Ashoka Greece to present his inspiring work to local organizations in 2014.

A workshop hosted in partnership with Anna Lindh Foundation followed, and a board member, together with the Tides Foundation, mobilized € 30,000 to scale the model in Greece. Since then, PYE has delivered seven trainings, reaching over 185 practitioners. Ashoka has facilitated contacts with partners such as Junior Achievement, the Pilot Experimental School of Agioi Anargyroi and the Institute for Educational Policy. A new series of trainings is planned for 2016 and a local foundation is interested in

Scaling local impact

hosting a Creative Community Camp to engage teachers and youth workers in refugee centers. PYE, together with the University of Macedonia, is also part of a EU-funded project that will enable them to further boost their scale-up plans.

Ashoka has helped PYE broadcast the impact of the work in Greece through blogs and social media.

Showcasing

Over the past years, Ashoka supported Peridis and his team to elaborate, test and expand his model through THIS WORKS’s GlobalizerX program and by matching his team with leading business experts to finalize a scaling strategy. In 2014, following an Ashoka event, Peridis was granted € 150,000 from Barclays helping him test and scale the program.

Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

Scaling local impact

To raise awareness about Peridis’s successful model, Ashoka Italy invited his team to a major event in Milan in 2015. Many contacts with potential partners have taken place and are currently under consideration.

An anonymous donor is ready to help Lanzaderas scale in Italy. To speed up the process, Ashoka supported the Spanish team to organize a local workshop in Milan in May 2016 where over 15 organizations expressed interest to learn more about the method and potentially assess how it could be adapted to the Italian market.

16 World Education Summit for Education, Wise Education Survey: Connecting Education to the Real World, 2015.

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21

JOBACT

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHTER

projektfabrik.org

gelecekdaha.net

THE IDEA

THE IDEA

In 2014 youth unemployment in the euro area rose to 24.5% and in 2016 was still set on 22%.

The frustration of not earning a living generates a lack of self-confidence. Traditional reintegration programs focus mostly on overcoming youth’s weaknesses rather than offering practical tools to instill higher levels of self-esteem and trust. JobAct empowers young people to develop a vision for their lives, to take responsibility, and to act it out by honing key skills such as reliability, teamwork, endurance, commitment, communication and respect.

Every year 120 million young people enter the workforce, but 80% cannot find a job. Often because they are unaware of the opportunities, or struggle to match their talents to the requested skills. Unemployed youth are increasing and fear narrows their vision of the future. Serra Titiz opens new horizons for disoriented young ones. Her organization,The Future is Brighter (GDN), provides access to information, contacts with businesses, universities and professionals, and supports the process of life and career choices.

THE PERSON

THE PERSON

Serra stems from a family of entrepreneurs in Istanbul. Growing up in a privileged environment and receiving a good education did not make it easier for her to decide what direction to take when it was time to look for a job. So she chose the path of least resistance, joining the family textile business.

Some years later, aware that it was not her story, she accepted an offer from a youth empowerment organization she had volunteered for. Again, brave and aware, she followed her heart, left that position and founded her own social enterprise.

Sandra Schürmann always dreamt of a more flexible and empowering schooling system. During her studies, she mentored adolescents to help them raise self-confidence, then she worked at an educational institution for youth unemployment. While on maternity leave, Sandra attended a school theatre play, and had her stroke of enlightenment: why not use creativity and performing arts to help young people discover and develop their personal skills? Are those not the foundations of success in the workplace? Within a few days she developed her concept, which eventually turned into JobAct.

THE PROJECT

THE PROJECT

Serra empowers, encourages and enables youth to proactively design their own, unique, future.

Through an online platform, on site courses and mentoring sessions, she connects young students to companies, universities and professionals, broadening their perspective of available options. Online trainings, coaching sessions, webinars, forums and workshops are open to youth free of charge, regardless of their economic or social status. To connect them with the labor market, Serra involves over 1,000 mentors who offer voluntary advice through videos posted on the GDN website, skype calls and meetings. In addition, youth are encouraged to participate in surveys and workshops and their answers are matched to available career and academic opportunities.

JobAct draws unemployed youth into an intensive program that uses performing arts to foster self-confidence, self-worth and to teach vital professional skills. Targeting groups of 20-25 long-term unemployed youngsters with no special interest or talent in acting, the nine-month program closely intertwines innovative theatre and other artistic pedagogy with careful mentoring, job coaching and guidance. The participants create a theatre performance in the first five months, then they attend a four month internship.

THE IMPACT

THE IMPACT

40% of her participants find jobs or vocational trainings, strongly outperforming state agencies’ rate of 24%. So far, JobAct have run over 250 shows in 110 locations, involving more than 5,000 participants and 45,000 spectators. In the next three years, JobAct plans to work with social franchises in five different European countries running 15 to 20 JobAct projects per year. Their aim is to certify between 75 and 100 theatre educators with JobAct methodology and establish a network of over 50 partners in at least eight EU countries.

SCALING

SCALING Showcasing

In 2014, Sandra’s team benefited from Ashoka’s GlobalizerX Program to develop a scaling strategy, and in 2015 was presented to the Spanish Parliament. As a result, several local organizations, such as Acción Contra el Hambre and Fundación Santa Maria la Real showed interest. In 2015 the JobAct team won Mercator Foundation’s Advocate Europe competition, which enabled them to organize workshops in several EU countries one of which in Madrid in May 2016, to present their methodology to 30 Spanish partners. Based on this event, a private University of La Rioja is now adapting JobAct to a six month program for unemployed graduates.

22

So far over 1,000 business professionals volunteered to share their firsthand success stories and insights with more than 5,000 Turkish youths, gaining a 95% rate of satisfaction. In the next three years, Serra and her team aim to establish new partnerships and strengthen existing ones across Europe, in order to build an international platform incorporating tech solutions from different countries, representing a one-stop-shop reference point for youth orientation.

Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

Ashoka Italy has been supporting JobAct since early 2015. Thanks to Francesca Cima, international affairs advisor at ItaliaCamp, the JobAct team met several organizations. In October 2015 they held an Advocate Europe workshop with 28 participants, inspiring many of them to launch JobAct adaptations.

Vivaio per l’Intraprendenza developed a program for unemployed university graduates, replacing career guidance with an entrepreneurship training. JobAct was also adopted in Turin and, thanks to the backing of private foundations, one quarter of the total budget has been secured.

They have applied for EU Erasmus+ funds, to kickstart more local replications.

Scaling local impact

Corriere della Sera, Italy’s most widely-­ read newspaper, published an article about JobAct’s activities in Italy.

Following the 2015 Innovation for Society summit in Athens, Sandra started conversations with executives from Robert Bosch Greece interested in supporting her to scale.

JobAct also met Michael Cacoyannis Foundation, with whom a local workshop for potential partners was held in May 2016. Together they applied for European funds to tackle the refugee challenge with creative means, emphasizing that integration is only successful when it comes with cultural inclusion.

Showcasing

With the support of Ashoka, Serra was put in touch with Robert Bosch Italy, who showed interest in supporting the replication of her model in the country, and invited her to a youth conference in Milan in January 2016 to pitch her work. Bosch also connected her with various organizations such as Monster, Este, Humangest, Jobadvisor, Randstad. In 2016, Jane Bradbury, a pro-bono supporter identified by Ashoka and based in Milan, made contacts with universities to launch a pilot project with a group of students and international mentors. Ashoka has also helped Serra translate the platform and together they coordinated meetings that took place in

Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

Scaling local impact

Milan in May 2016 with organizations interested in discovering her work and discussing opportunities to collaborate.

23

ANA BELLA FOUNDATION

THIRD AGE / FÁILTE ISTEACH

fundacionanabella.org

thirdageireland.ie

THE IDEA

THE IDEA

Ana Bella Estevez tackles domestic violence, and in particular the risk of social exclusion that can affect women for the rest of their lives. Ana Bella empowers abused women by leveraging their strengths and talents to help them regain self-confidence, begin the separation process from their abuser and get back on their feet. To do so they need economic independence, which is best guaranteed by a stable job. This provides stability and continuity for the employers as well. Danone Spain, for example, by supporting the Foundation and training women to meet requirements for jobs in their company, benefits from the contribution of new, loyal members of staff. The project offers a new opportunity to reintegrate victims of domestic violence and to change society’s perceptions.17

The dawning of a new age for the voiceless, increasing at the margins of society, is possible thanks to Mary Nally. Older means wiser, experienced, but also bored and neglected. The same can be said of the displaced immigrants, whom policy makers are struggling to integrate in Western societies.

The rapidly growing demographic groups can help each other find a sense of purpose by sharing skills.

Through Third Age, Mary Nally is bridging gaps between generations and disparate populations, engaging older people in programs to support those in need.

THE PERSON

Mary worked for many years in a nursing home. However, at 40 she fell ill and was forced to retire.

She found herself at home and helpless.Through this experience, she nurtured deep empathy for the plight of people languishing sick and alone. When her mother came to live with her, in her small rural village, Mary noticed that she had too much time on her hands and decided to host a public meeting to discuss the issue. The successful outcome of the event laid the foundations of her new project.

Years later, she came across an immigrant woman struggling in a shop because she did not speak English. This added another piece to her puzzle.

THE PERSON

Ana Bella was abused by her husband for 11 years, until she managed to escape and raise a family of four children. In the process of separation, and through interaction with other women in similar circumstances, she realized the potential of helping others create resilience and overcome trauma and isolation.

THE PROJECT

The Ana Bella Foundation, and its Empowerment School, enable victims to become changemakers by teaching, inspiring and supporting women to speak up, grow out of victimhood and find valuable jobs. The most suited positions are those of brand ambassadors, as they highlight the positive aspects of a product and foster teamwork. Ana Bella acts at three different levels: creating peer support networks, partnering with public administrations and private companies, generating stories and working with the media. Rather than focusing on the physical consequences of abuse, Ana Bella shows the success stories.

THE PROJECT

Mary tackles the needs and issues of the elderly. She engages them through a tripartite, broadening approach: her foundation, Third Age, organizes daily activities for them on a local level, runs a helpline operated by elders across the country for other elders, and through the project Fáilte Isteach (Welcome In) she provides the opportunity to become active members of society, by giving language courses to immigrants.

THE IMPACT

THE IMPACT

In 2015 every week, over 900 volunteer tutors welcomed almost 3,000 migrant students from 76 different countries to the community, helping them integrate and thrive. Fáilte Isteach branches, located in 24 counties in Ireland, offer a total of 42,000 hours of free tuition annually. In 2015, Fáilte Isteach delivered 65,000 hours of language courses , returning an economic value of € 3.75 M to the Irish state, after having received € 126,240 in public funding. By 2020, Fáilte Isteach aims to be present in three European countries, with 200 volunteer tutors to service at least 1,000 migrants.

All materials will be translated into the language of the host country and a pilot will be established with a suitable partner, rigorously evaluated before expanding nationally in other regions.

So far, over 5,000 women have spoken out and overcome violence with the help of the Foundation. Over 1,100 survivors were trained and 632 women were offered jobs, mostly as brand ambassadors, where highlighting values acts as catharsis for personal self-esteem. These women have contributed to the economic and social growth of companies by decreasing staff turnover from 63% to 2.25% and reducing absenteeism from 40% to 2%. The aim for the next years is to engage 2,000 women as ambassadors in at least 20 companies, to spread a vision of women as changemakers in their work and communities.

SCALING

SCALING Showcasing

Thanks to Ashoka’s support, Ana Bella’s national network now incorporates ten survivor organizations that reach more victims and aim at influencing the media and policy makers. Through the years, Ana Bella has developed new partnerships with companies such as Campofrio, L’Oreal, Benefit, Amichi, Carrefour. The ESADE Institute for Social Innovation has published a study assessing the social impact of the project to help her scale in new countries. Ashoka has also connected her with Fellow Narcis Vives with whom she is collaborating on the Ana Bella App launched in September 2015. Through

Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

the App she is providing online support to many women not only in Spain, but also in Bolivia, USA, Mexico, Nicaragua, Romania and Honduras.

Replication is taking place also in Italy thanks to project leader Anna Cabianca. After an in-depth visit to the headquarters in Seville, the scaling team reached out to local organizations that support victims of domestic violence. The launch conference was held in April 2016 in the presence of the Vice President of the Italian Senate, Valeria Fedeli. The framework is being defined and, thanks to the support of

Scaling local impact

advisers, a legal entity is in the process of being created. Representatives of the Italian Government are proceeding to obtain a public service announcement.

Significant steps are also being made in the articulation of the business model, fundraising plans and engagement of ambassadors, necessary for the implementation of the program in Italy.

Showcasing

Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

Scaling local impact

Following Mary’s participation in one of Ashoka’s event in 2015, Piccolo Principe, a social cooperative from Milan, showed interest in replicating her model of language support for migrants, integrating it into their program for the elderly of Lombardy.

In autumn 2016, with support from Ashoka, Piccolo Principe and Third Age will start a joint project entitled “TI-CA-PISKO” funded by the Municipality of Milan and aimed at adapting Fáilte Isteach’s methodology to the local context.

17 Danone Ecosysteme, Social School for Women Empowerment, Spain.

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25

SIEL BLEU

DISCOVERING HANDS

sielbleu.org

discovering-hands.de

THE IDEA

THE IDEA

The world population is growing exponentially, but it is also aging. The senior population in France had reached 12.7 million, 19% of the total.18 Jean-Michel Ricard developed Siel Bleu to tackle the issues of an aging society, through physical activities which are instrumental in keeping elders active and independent. This is fostering healthy longevity and new job opportunities for practitioners.

Breast cancer is the most frequent cause of death for women ages 40- 44 and is the most common type of cancer for women 25 to 74. Early detection is key, but mammographies are expensive and, in Germany, are reimbursed to women over 50. Most women only receive a brief manual breast exam, often not sufficient to diagnose cancer in the early stages. Frank Hoffmann’s intuition is to train blind women to perform manual breast examinations. Their highly developed sense of touch improves the quality of the test and their handicap becomes an asset in a new profession.

THE PERSON

Jean-Michel wanted to put his training in physical education to service the betterment of society. After working with underprivileged youth, frustrated by the constraints of the schooling system, he veered to the elders, who are often neglected. At university he deepened his knowledge on the benefits of physical exercise in the third age, learning that increased autonomy supports overall well-being and health.

THE PERSON

Frank had been a gynecologist for decades, and normally, for each patient, he could devote only three minutes to the manual breast exams. Not enough. One day, while taking a shower, he had an illumination: blind women would do much better than him, and he could defer his patients to them for the vital diagnostic test. This was the seed of Discovering Hands.

THE PROJECT

Siel Bleu helps the elderly stay fit, independent and connected, by engaging them through physical activity adapted to their capacities and needs. Siel Bleu has developed more than a dozen customized preventive programmes and training sessions, such as gymnastics practiced on chairs, mobility and dexterity exercises to prevent falls, Alzheimer gymnastics to mitigate the process of degeneration and risk of hospitalization, and promote recovery.

THE PROJECT

Frank designed a system of orientation for breast examiners based on braille strips. Taught to visually impaired women over a nine-month training program, the method consists of five strips placed on a woman’s breast with coordinates that allow smaller lumps to be pinpointed. This enables blind women to carry out examinations with complete autonomy. Discovering Hands’ approach fostered an unprecedented integration of blind women in primary health care. This innovative methodology has been adopted by other gynecologists in Germany and Austria and Frank’s idea is to train blind men for early detection of prostate cancer.

THE IMPACT

Siel Bleu now has more than 440 employees, specialized in APA (Adapted Physical Activity) who intervene in 4,000 institutions in France and coach 100,000 beneficiaries (mainly older adults) by organizing and delivering physical activity sessions adapted to older people. In 2015 alone, Siel Bleu delivered more than 200,000 physical activity sessions promoting active and healthy ageing. Siel Bleu reduces by three the risk of elderly people falling and breaking their hips or legs, which, at a scale, could save up to € 5 B for the French health system. In the next few years Siel Bleu will improve and expand the reach of GetPhY, an online platform offering exercises that people can easily follow from the comfort of their homes. Siel Bleu also aims at establishing new synergies and partnerships with public and private institutions with the goal of co-creating hybrid value chains. This will help boost socio sanitary services, achieve therapeutic impact and improve quality of life.

SCALING

THE IMPACT

Preliminary qualitative research on 451 cases shows that MTEs detect 50% more and 28% smaller tissue alterations in the breast than gynaecologists. Clinical studies from the University of Erlangen (Germany) and the Universidad Santiago de Cali (Colombia) will be published this year. To date, over 10,000 examinations have been carried out. The 30-minute examination, compared to the standard one, gives women time to ask questions and be reassured about their health. 28 Medical Tactile Examiners (MTEs) are now working in German clinics, four MTEs were instructed in Austria and six are being trained in Colombia. A pilot project in India has been set up in cooperation with the Bayer Cares Foundation and a pilot in Mexico is being assessed.

SCALING Showcasing

Siel Bleu launched HAPPIER (Healthy Activity Physical Program Innovations Elderly Residents) in Spain where it also benefitted from Ashoka’s support. It opened seven local offices employing 47 trainers part time, and in 2015 over 14,000 physical activity sessions took place, mainly in residences for the elders. Siel Bleu Spain is collaborating with Nutricia (Danone Group) to design a shared nursing home program, where Nutricia provides nutritional supplements and Siel Bleu ensures physical activity. More than 100 nursing homes will benefit from this combined offer. Thanks to a major clinical research

Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

demonstrating the benefits of HAPPIER, Siel Bleu is also cooperating with public institutions such as IMSERSO (Public Institute for Elderly and Social Service) and La Paz Hospital.

Scaling local impact

Showcasing

Discovering Hands was presented during Ashoka’s THIS WORKS event at the Spanish Parliament in 2015. On that occasion Fundación ONCE showed interest in supporting the replication in Spain, once the clinical study proving the impact of the methodology is published.

Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

Discovering Hands was matched with local advisors from Impact Hub Milan and Ashoka pro bono collaborator Samir De Chaderavian, to assess the feasibility of a replication in Italy and identify potential local partners.

Initial discussions were held with a Milan-based training center and San Raffaele Hospital. The advisors are also in contact with other potential partners, such as AIRC, ASL Milano, Lega Italiana per la Lotta contro i Tumori, Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Dialogo nel Buio, Istituto dei Ciechi di Milano, Lega Tumori, Fondazione Pangea Onlus, Mangiagalli. While waiting for the clinical study to be published, a feasi-

Scaling local impact

bility assessment has been undertaken by a Master class SDA student at Luigi Bocconi University, to better understand the demands and constraints of the Italian market. Ashoka Italy will continue to support the scaling of Discovering Hands, once the results of the study become available.

18 French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), Population, 2016.

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27

VITAMINE T

SPECIALISTERNE

groupevitaminet.com

specialisterne.com

THE IDEA

THE IDEA

THE PERSON

THE PERSON

France’s unemployed count an increasing number of young suburban ethnic minorities and people over 50 who lost their jobs when factories closed down. To address the issue, André Dupon has pioneered job training programs as an alternative to state-subsidized ones, which provide occupation rather than professional skills. Vitamine T attracts private companies based on their real business interests and persuades them to invest in the co-creation of new social ventures that produce both economic and social impact.

It takes a personal experience to appreciate the talent and beauty hidden behind the face of a disorder.

Thorkil Sonne changes the way society perceives autism by transforming it from a handicap to a competitive advantage. His company, Specialisterne, employs autistic people, who have ten times lower fault rate in software testing, programming, data-entry and other tasks. The positive impact is fourfold: expressing unharnessed talent, securing meaningful employment for the autistic and helping them break their isolation, while ensuring economic returns for the company.

André was taken from his parents when he was a baby and grew up in different orphanages in the North of France. Driven to empower himself and overcome his misery, he worked very hard in school.

Giving back to the community became his mission, which gradually brought him to found Vitamine T. Never forgetting his upbringing, André has a great sense of empathy and remains close to his employees while mastering business codes.

Thorkil did not know much about autism and the spectrum of disorders until they involved him directly as a father. After an initial, steep, learning curve, Thorkil began to perceive his autistic child’s skills, especially an excellent memory and an astonishing eye for detail. On the other hand, he felt heartbroken at the paucity of his son’s life options, until he met an autistic teenager who was very bright and highly skilled at computers. A gift that he kept to himself. This sparked the idea of Specialisterne.

THE PROJECT

THE PROJECT

André creates hybrid value partnerships between businesses and financially solid social enterprises with a strong potential to create employment. He identifies market leader companies, joins the most influential management clubs of the region and invites top managers to join his Board and engage in the strategic development of his mission. He attracts private partners based on their needs, recruitment, market penetration and CSR activities, to co-create new opportunities that reinforce social values, coherent with their core business. Vitamine T has engaged with companies such as Adecco, Paul and Sodexo.

Through his organization, designed to harness the unique talents of autistic people, Thorkil provides a neglected population with the tools to become an active, independent part of society. Drawing from Thorkil’s IT background, Specialisterne provides autistic people with coaching, a supportive work environment and the skills required to succeed on the job. His company is bridging the autistic community with the business world in an unprecedented way.

THE IMPACT

THE IMPACT

Specialisterne has operations in 32 locations in 15 countries around the world and is focusing on expanding in the US, Asia, Australia and Latin America. More than 1,000 individuals with autism have been trained and employed by Specialisterne and its partner companies. People with autism employed by or through Specialisterne between 2008 and 2012, generated a net value of DKK 13.5 M (ca. € 18 M) for the Danish State. In the next three years their goal is to create one million jobs for people with autism.

Vitamine T has become the largest job insertion company in France. In 2015, it employed 2,500 people, had more than 950 clients, and generated a turnover of € 50 M. So far, more than 35,000 people have benefitted from the programs and, for each euro invested in Vitamine T, € 2,5 are given back through taxes and employers’ contributions. Vulnerable groups represent between 50% and 90% of the employees of each company.

SCALING

SCALING Showcasing

Following a public presentation of Vitamine T in Ashoka’s THIS WORKS event, held at the Spanish Parliament in 2015, Dominique Gross, an experienced consultant for the social sector, expressed interest in assessing a possible replication of Vitamine T. Supported by Ashoka, he visited André in Lille to understand the model, compare different ideas for the replication and receive feedback. Ashoka then matched him with a senior advisor from Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) in Spain, who helped Dominique evaluate the challenges, research opportunities and map strategic decisions. As a result, Dominique and his team from Fundación

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Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

Elabora launched Koopera Madrid, a social and sustainable enterprise which offers employment to people who cannot find work through official channels, focusing on the recycling and distribution of waste. Their first shop will open in autumn 2016. In the next two years they aim at creating 18 new jobs to be partly filled by disadvantaged people, open four clothes shops of 200 square meters, partner with 200 organizations facilitating clothes storage and have a turnover of € 1 M. The team is also looking into ideas for a second business line.

Scaling local impact

Showcasing

Over the past years, Ashoka Spain has been closely supporting Francesc Sistach and social investor Ramon Bernat to scale Specialisterne in Spain, by providing strategic advice, invitations to pitch in major conferences and events, to increase visibility and attract potential partners. Ashoka also connected Francesc with companies such as Accenture and Price Waterhouse Coopers. As a result, in 2014 during the startup phase, 13 consultants got jobs in data, document handling and software testing in companies such as Avnet, Everis and Sogeti-Capgemini. In 2015, Specialisterne provided a meaningful job to more than 30 individuals. Among the

Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

Scaling local impact

partners who support Specialisterne’s training courses in Spain: FSC Inserta, Fundación Once and the Employment Office of Madrid and Barcelona, the two cities were Specialisterne operates in Spain.

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BOUTIQUES DE GESTION

REGIONALWERT AG

bge.asso.fr

regionalwert-ag.de

THE IDEA

THE IDEA

THE PERSON

THE PERSON

Danielle Desguées’s mission is to provide would-be entrepreneurs with the tools to succeed, particularly in times of crisis. With Boutiques de Gestion (BGE), over the past 35 years, Danielle has developed a system that operates through a nationwide network of management shops, offering advisory services to would-be entrepreneurs, especially economically and socially vulnerable ones.

Through BGE, Danielle breaks the isolation and uses entrepreneurship strategically to revert the cycle of unemployment.

More and more, uninformed consumers demand cheaper agricultural products at the expense of small producers and at the cost of essential economic, ecological and social benefits. Through his public holding company, Regionalwert AG, committed to an ecological and social constitution, Christian creates alternative capital flows and value chains for small organic farmers and food producers.

By buying small farms with a positive social and environmental impact, he creates accessible financial investment opportunities in their regions.

At the age of 20, Danielle travelled across France to gather stories of entrepreneurs for a book.

She discovered that many people with diverse profiles were founding innovative and creative ventures. However, most were isolated and without support to surmount the challenges they faced.

Convinced that something had to be done to break their isolation, she created BGE.

Christian grew up on one of Germany’s first organic farms, seeing first-hand the threats that local small-scale agriculture faced. Instead of taking over his family farm, he founded his own venture, that includes a nursery, a school improvement project and Germany’s first foundation for biodiversity.

After years of experience in regional and organic farms in rapid decline, he saw agricultural holding companies as the solution, and launched Regionalwert AG. To make it successful, Christian recognized the importance of understanding the financial context.

THE PROJECT

BGE management shops are open boutiques where entrepreneurs can “shop” for management advice.

They are assisted at every stage of their lifecycle through individual counselling, design of their business idea, planning, feasibility and access to capital. BGE also offers online diagnostic tools, allowing potential entrepreneurs to assess their skills and competencies before carrying out a project.

With her Entrepreneurship Bus she reaches people directly in the communities they operate in, while her incubation program enables project developers to test their startups on the market for a year, with no risk and no need to register the company.

THE PROJECT

Christian’s Regionalwert AG broadens the financial base of organic regional agriculture enterprises by defining their success according to a new vision. Together with academics and consultants, Christian developed an innovative reporting method taking 64 economic, ecological and social indicators into account, thus representing a radical departure from the traditional financially-driven agricultural industry. Christian’s key insight is that all three returns need to be soundly balanced in the holding. By ensuring this, Regionalwert AG enables small and medium sized farms and producers to survive in a highly competitive market while allowing local supply chains and synergies to strengthen the region’s sustainable values.

THE IMPACT

To date, BGE has supported the creation of more than 120,000 new businesses, of which 79% still operating after three years. In 2014, the Boutiques assisted 17,100 new enterprises, creating 28,600 new jobs. In 2010 a McKinsey study evaluated BGE’s economic impact in Île-de-France at € 8.3 M, with an estimated € 182 M, if all firms were to receive their support.

SCALING

To date, Regionalwert has 700 investors and a capital of € 4 M. Christian supports 20 companies with more than 150 workers and 30 interns or trainees.

SCALING Showcasing

Ashoka facilitated an alliance of local partners with Fundación ICO to finance a pilot program in Spain and Fundación Emplea to adapt and implement the methodology with seven local members. In 2014, BGE delivered a four-day training course to transfer know-how and tools. As a result, the local organizations started working together and created the ANIDA network (Actions, News, Ideas, Development and Self-employment), which adapted the BGE model to their needs and vulnerable target groups. The pilot, launched in spring 2015, reached 166 people who received entrepreneurial coaching. In 2016, three additional train-the-trainers took place in Spain, and eight more are 30

THE IMPACT

Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

in the pipeline. 38 employment coaches have been trained, and are offering support to vulnerable populations to develop entrepreneurial ventures.

After Danielle’s visits, in 2015 Ashoka Italy identified Consorzio Mestieri Lombardia as ideal partner to replicate the BGE methodology in their network of employment agencies.

With the support of Ashoka, Consorzio Mestieri submitted a EU-funding proposal engaging BGE and Fundación Emplea from Spain. Despite initial setbacks, Consorzio Mestieri continues to collaborate and organized a workshop in April 2016 in Milan to transfer know-how and start a pilot.

Scaling local impact

Ashoka has already showcased Danielle’s model in several occasions in Greece, and to the Greek diaspora in Paris. Among the local organizations who showed interest, Karditsa Development Agency is currently in conversation with Ashoka, concerning a possible study visit and training session.

Showcasing

Ashoka Spain, in partnership with UpSocial, has been supporting Regionalwert to scale and to seek funding, by connecting the German team with the Madrid Deputy regional minister for Environment and representatives of the Catalan Regional Government.

In 2015 EcoRegio, the local replicator of Regionalwert, managed to attract € 60,000 through local partner Dynamis, that gathered 30 influential ethical bankers, businessmen, nutrition experts and lawyers. The group is in the process of conducting trainings and feasibility studies to enable the financing of some of the selected projects. The goal is to raise € 1 M for four projects. In addition, EcoRegio is collaborating with several

Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

Scaling local impact

education institutions such as Barcelona University (UB), Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), The Catalan Cooking Institute or the renown restaurant El Celler de Can Roca, and is in the process of publishing a book about scaling the model in Spain. EcoRegio’s aim for the next few years is to involve 500 people, mobilise € 3 M, create over 150 jobs, and covert 500 hectares of land to organic production.

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LA RUCHE QUI DIT OUI

TEAM U

laruchequiditoui.fr

team-u.de

THE IDEA

THE IDEA

Due to increasing skepticism towards industrial foods, people are seeking alternatives.

With La Ruche qui Dit Oui (The Beehive that Says Yes), Guilhem Chéron created a new marketplace, where consumers meet producers, forming a trusted network. Local sustainable farmers build their value chain supported by peer-to-peer marketing and technology.

Attila has pioneered a model to prevent bankruptcies of SMEs and support entrepreneurs with a successful restart. Almost 50% of European enterprises do not survive the first five years and an average of 200,000 firms are going bankrupt each year, resulting in direct job losses for 1.7 million people.

In Germany alone, the economic damage exceeds € 50 B. Bankruptcy is a taboo related to personal failure, and insolvency is a stigma which prevents people from getting a bank account or a rent contract.

“It” can happen to everybody. 98% of all bankrupt entrepreneurs stated in a survey that they waited too long to get professional help and 94,5% did not find the right support to solve their problems.

THE PERSON

While in industrial design school, Guilhem came to realize how food, essential for our sustenance, is undergoing many threats. He decided to cater his skills to redesigning food consumption habits and distribution schemes, instead of creating more products and designs that risk feeding society’s hunger to consume.

THE PERSON

Attila was a successful entrepreneur, until he went bankrupt after a big customer did not pay him.

He experienced first hand how bankruptcy impacted all areas of his life. He felt inadequate.

His wife began to work full time while Attila took care of the family. During these humbling years, he opened up to others in his situation but found no support network for the insolvents. This was his U turn. Overcoming barriers no longer frightened him and he created Insolvents Anonymous which later became Team U.

THE PROJECT

Guilhem’s alternative marketplace revolves around a network of Ruches, or distribution points, and an online platform. Each Ruche is led by a community member, whose role is to build relationships with local farmers, help them build a distribution network in the vicinity to market and sell their produce.

In parallel, the organization reaches consumers through advertising and an online community.

Incentivized by a small share of the trade, and a leadership role in the community, these budding entrepreneurs are driving the change Guilhem envisioned.

THE PROJECT

Team U assists entrepreneurs to avoid bankruptcy and helps those who need to close their businesses (declare insolvency) safely. His organization offers a cost-free hotline, nationwide self help groups (Insolvents Anonymous) and an expert network for professional consulting. He also developed an academy to train entrepreneurs to become consultants empowering them to learn from their crisis and use it as a competence. The vicious cycles of fear, shame and isolation are being reversed. Attila’s vision is to ensure access to advice and support for companies in distress and promote a culture that gives a second chance to honest entrepreneurs.

THE IMPACT

Since its launch in 2011, La Ruche has over 800,000 members and is still growing. There are over 800 market points across France, involving 600,000 clients and 4,000 farmers. The model has been replicated in Belgium, Spain, Germany, Great Britain and, since September 2015, in Italy. Recently, there have been requests from the US. Guilhem’s aim is to double the figure of 800 Ruches currently operating in 6 countries and to launch in new areas by the end of 2017.

THE IMPACT

Since 2007, over 13,000 people have benefitted from his services,. In 2014 Attila expanded his activity with Team U, offering a wide range of tools to assist people on the brink of bankruptcy.

In 2017, TEAM U plans to expand to Greece, Poland, Italy and Spain with the long-term objective of scaling all over Europe.

SCALING

SCALING Showcasing

Ashoka Spain has been supporting the launch of the project since 2014, in partnership with UpSocial.

Marc Raulin is coordinating the Colmenas (Ruches) and adapting the model. Ashoka has put him in contact with local partners, potential investors, and supported the launch event. Currently La Colmena Que Dice Sí has 24 marketplaces in Madrid, Barcelona, Andalucía (Sevilla, Granada, Córdoba), Valencia, León and Bilbao, with 120 farmers selling their products to 18,000 registred members of the online platform.

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Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

L’Alveare che dice Sì is led by Eugenio Sapora, who learned about the project while in Paris. Ashoka is supporting the scaling process in Italy by providing communication support and facilitating strategic contacts with consultancy companies such as Hogan Lovells. Ashoka is also looking for marketplace managers interested in creating new Alveari (Ruches) elsewhere in Italy. So far, 30 have opened or are under development, with 2,000 members and 100 farmers. Following a pilot in Turin, the project is scaling in Milan, Bergamo, Brescia, Trieste, Rome and Naples and aims to reach 100 Alveari by the end of 2016.

Scaling local impact

Showcasing

Following Ashoka’s support in promoting Team U in Greece, through various public events and media, a number of partners expressed interest in collaborating to transfer the methodology in their country. In particular, Attila joined the Development Agency of Karditsa in an Interreg Balkan-Med EU proposal, and another EU program which could include a pilot in Greece, is in the early stages. Last but not least, various professionals from different fields are interested in stirring a debate in Greece on insolvency and bankruptcy, using

Finding Partners

Supporting transfer

Scaling local impact

Team U as an example of how support programs can be developed. Together they are discussing a potential event for fall 2016.

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10 KEY LESSONS WORTH SHARING

BY LAURA CATANA, PROGRAM MANAGER THIS WORKS INITIATIVE AT ASHOKA

The unemployment crisis is facing Southern Europe with great challenges. While governments struggle to identify and implement the right solutions, social entrepreneurs are proving that it is possible to bring about bottom-up positive change.

But how do we get their solutions to travel, find a local social entrepreneur who can adapt them to his or her context?

Few organizations scaling impact across borders understand the importance of making the right match between a solution and a local partner, and between the founder and the replicator. Meeting opportunities and creating win-win strategies require time and the facilitation of an intermediary organization.

Through THIS WORKS, we identified over 30 innovative solutions and supported their founders to develop scaling strategies and present them to local partners. In Italy, Spain and Greece we helped them find the right replicating partner and develop local pilots. A process we we would like to adapt in order to grow more organically, by presenting solutions to potential partners and bringing people together around shared visions first.

Then, work with advisors to develop scaling strategies adapted to the local context.

It can be challenging to fit a social innovation into a big organization with a set structure and well defined fields of work. In such cases, an internal champion or ally is strategic. On the other hand, small local partners, overwhelmed by the size of a project, might take specific elements from the original model and integrate them into their work, but might not be capable of undertaking a full replication.

Irrespective of the approach and the challenge, here are some key lessons we’ve learned.

SPOT THE BEST INNOVATIONS

There is never enough time to research the most appropriate social innovations, but experience taught us that, to scale successfully, at least two of these three requirements need to be met: the solution has to match the needs of the region, meet the interest of local partners and replicators, benefit from the founder’s commitment to scaling.

FIND THE CORE TO BE SCALED

To scale, social entrepreneurs need tailored support from experienced advisors to recognize the core that fuels their impact and build networks. We’re learning that the ecosystem of changemakers flourishes when social entrepreneurs are aware of their motivations, vision and core solution. They become magnets, capable of generating hope and a desire to collaborate. Purpose, not interest, governs their actions.

This process takes time, to understand the core of the project, the scaling strategy and the financial needs, the risks and opportunities.

SCALING IMPACT ≠ SCALING BUSINESS

Social and business ideas do not follow the same incentives and mechanisms.

Social entrepreneurs are not driven by financial gains and their main goal is not necessarily to expand their operations. They aim to make a lasting change in the world and are eager to share it and invest in smart networks of people united by the same mission.

Traditional scaling models, based on organic growth, branches or franchises, often have little use when trying to scale impact. However, a mixed approach that combines traditional and innovative solutions can help some projects grow faster.

UNDERSTANDING THE LOCAL CONTEXT GIVES POWER. POWER TO CHANGE To ensure a soft landing in a new country, it is necessary to help entrepreneurs access information, cross language barriers and acquire a deep understanding of the socio-­economic, cultural and political context. Thus it is vital to connect social entrepreneurs to local advisors, who can help adapt scaling strategies to the peculiarities of the new country.

For instance, while a social innovation in one country could be mostly funded by the welfare state, it might not be the case in another one, and alternative sources of income would need to be identified. The capacity to refine and adjust the solution to the new context is key to successful replication.

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IDENTIFY THE RIGHT REPLICATING PARTNER

I HAVE THE PARTNER, WHAT’S NEXT? HOW TO SUPPORT SCALING PROJECTS One might think that when the team is set, the job is done. Instead, to make a scaling project flourish, tailored and timely support is essential for both the founder and the local replicator. The assistance, evaluated case by case, can include legal, financial, tax, strategy and communication advice, as well as fundraising, visibility and partnerships.

Replicators might not always have all the necessary skills. They might need support to hone their entrepreneurial abilities and acquire specific know-how to run pilots, as well as feel empowered and in charge. Their capability to develop tailored stories about their mission for different audiences of investors, partners and media to attract attention, is key and needs to be enhanced.

Last but not least, we learned that a small fund created for specific replication projects could help stimulate local partners and speed up the process.

FINDING A ROLE FOR EVERY ACTOR

Attracting contributions from professionals and local innovators who don’t normally operate in the field, but whose skills and expertise can contribute to the projects, helps solutions emerge everywhere. Mapping all the stakeholders, finding a value proposition for each and inviting them to co-create, is a best practice that can have big impact on the way systemic change is achieved.

We’ve learned that the relationship between the founder and the replicator should be equal and even foster a reverse flow of scaling. Encompassing innovations that originated in the countries which initially scaled an idea, creates an inspiring environment for the replicators, while empowering the local community who feels valued and can contribute to change elsewhere.

INFRASTRUCTURE AFFECTS SCALE-UP TIMING

Generating immediate results when scaling impact depends also on the local context, in particular the recognition of social entrepreneurs, the existence of supporter communities and investment infrastructure, all deeply affected by the political and economic environment. On average, it takes two years from the intention to scale to the release of the results of the first pilot program. The time required can be significantly higher in countries where this infrastructure is scarce. Yet, the pressure for immediate scaling can lead to insufficient market analysis, unsuitable partnerships or fragmentary programming, which in the long run can be detrimental.

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FOUR KEY POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS BUILDING SUSTAINABLE AND DYNAMIC PARTNERSHIPS

With a common vision of change, there is always more room for strategic collaborations. Joining forces, organizations and entrepreneurs can leverage each other’s strengths and resources to generate more sustainable impact, at the operational or investment level. Our vision is to rethink unemployment by scaling proven solutions in Southern Europe, and to foster EU integration by enabling cooperation between grassroot entrepreneurs from different countries. To catalyze change we built bridges with more than 60 organizations in Italy, Spain and Greece, looked for win-win opportunities, collaborated on events, scaled support and joined communication efforts. Through THIS WORKS, we reinforced the importance to engage key players in collaborative changemaking, encouraging further investments in social entre­ preneurship and employment solutions in Southern Europe. What’s more, social entrepreneurs, such as Peridis from Spain, inspired bold and grounded public policy to enable systemic change in the current labor market policies.19

HOW TO MEASURE SUCCESS

Despite the rapid shifts in the employment patterns in Europe, we still use the same old indicator when designing new policies to tackle unemployment: number of new jobs created. We channel funding towards the achievement of this indicator, but, oftentimes, these jobs are gone as soon as the EU or local public support finishes.

Programs like THIS WORKS focus on developing the right ecosystem for jobs to emerge, rather than focusing on the jobs alone.

Tracking the impact of a program like THIS WORKS might be a difficult task.

We have created output and outcome indicators, such as the number of projects that have been scaled, people trained or who found a job, to have an overview of the impact generated by each Fellow. But how do we measure the work of an ecosystem and all that goes into it? The connections created, the inspiration provided to other players on the ground, the new collaborations?

Serendipity that has emerged during meetings with local organizations, when they shared experiences, stepping out of their comfort zones and seeking ways to enact their innovation, has been an unexpected added value of this project.

Showcasing the work of Fellows from around the world in Southern Europe, in a hot and uncomfortable topic such as unemployment, was a great opportunity to prove the effectiveness of investing in social innovation, not only with institutions, but also with corporations. The positive impact of THIS WORKS inspired other partners to create an empowering narrative around (un)employment. National press coverage has been vast and beyond expectations. Sharing the crucial message that “it can be done” has had a huge effect and social innovation has become a point of reference across the board.

We are unlikely to have significant social impact if we keep following the shifting patterns of employment opportunities and try to adapt to them. Instead we need to think big, focus on the root causes of unemployment and invest in solutions that are able to direct rather than follow these shifts, configuring a new labor market.

Whether you’re a policy maker or a social investor eager to tackle the unemployment challenge or other social problems, here are four recommendations we’d like to share, based on our experience with THIS WORKS.

NEW WORK ETHIC

Help shape a new work ethic focused on problem solving and collaboration by proposing and enacting coherent value chains between social innovators and their grantees and investors. Build smart networks and teams of teams across sectors and industries that can ensure sustainability and continuity of the cause with or without you.

Engage professionals from all sectors as pro-bono contributors in social innovation to jumpstart a real movement of social change.

HOW TO INVEST

Develop an infrastructure for changemaking that empowers citizens to find solutions to their problems and provides them with support to identify the best strategies to turn their ideas into action. First of all, to do this, a more hybrid and patient approach to investment needs to emerge across all European countries. It is the role of policy makers to direct such change, through needs-based and forward-looking instruments that can be leveraged by private funders. Second, attract innovations by opening up public procurement processes, establishing innovation funds and inviting citizens, local and international (social) enterprises to submit their solutions to the communities’ challenges. Third, funding should always be combined with learning and sharing, which can only be achieved if it is possible to share failure without being excluded from further funding. Last but not least, tailored and one-to-one guidance are to be used to help aspiring social entrepreneurs thrive.

WHAT TO INVEST IN

Not always existent solutions respond to new challenges. To be prepared for a world of change, policy makers need to invest in innovative and systemic solutions which can contribute to a framework change. Accept and take risks, learn from failure and try again. Harness the best practices, as the cost of sustaining replications is lower than investing in novel ideas that still need to be refined. By investing in replicating the most impactful ones, be it ecosystem-projects or field-specific ones, you’ll promote collaboration, avoid reinventions, inefficiencies and long start-up processes, benefit from lessons learned and speed up the impact.

MAKE INNOVATION ELIGIBLE

Innovations do not follow standard norms. This needs to be reflected in the selection criteria of support programs. The more we try to fit innovation in pre-existing rules, the less chance we have to unleash its potential. Whether you are the head of a company, a department of a public institution or a philanthropic foundation, the best way to achieve impact is to be open, to welcome and engage social entrepreneurs to develop innovation programs or contribute to law reforms. They are the most suited experts we have, the ones who can influence the behavior of big companies and government by sharing from the ground where the world is going.

19 In January 2016 the Spanish Ministry of Employment and Social Security granted Lanzaderas € 12.5 M from the European Social Fund to scale the model and expand to 548 Lanzaderas in the period 2016-2019.

The aim is to reach 11,000 people in four years. Other public partners have been experimenting with a new way of supporting the unemployed find a job, among them the Regional Governments of Cantabria and Biscay, the autonomous community of La Rioja, as well as municipalities such as Valladolid, Gandía, Carcaixent, Gijón, Valdepeñas, Guía de Isora.

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CONTACTS Ashoka Europe Director Marie Ringler, mringler@ashoka.org Program Coordinator Laura Catana, lcatana@ashoka.org Greece Christina Fili, cfili@ashoka.org Italy Alessandro Valera, avalera@ashoka.org Spain Ana Saenz de Miera, anasaenzdemiera@ashoka.org www.ashoka.org

With the support of