We Can (Welcoming Entrepreneurship: Creating Alternative Narratives)

WE CAN is a 2-year project funded by the European Erasmus + fund that aims to stimulate and support the integration of migrants in Europe through social innovation. For WE CAN social innovation means strengthening the role of migrants in the local community through (social) entrepreneurship and community navigators. WE CAN believes that (social) entrepreneurship and community navigators can be effective ways to stimulate and support migrants to participate in society and thus integrate. It has been shown that both (social) enterprises and community navigators can become particularly relevant when they fill gaps in the market and in mainstream support. 

What does WE CAN do?

WE CAN offers migrants the opportunity to follow activation and training programs to strengthen entrepreneurial capacities or to improve the skills needed to act as community navigators within their own communities. For the content and design of the activation and training programs, WE CAN will use the strength and expertise of adult education and relevant civil society organizations at the local and international level (networks, multi-stakeholdersplatform).

Why WE CAN

The economic consequences of the Covic pandemic have disproportionately affected migrants in Europe. Unemployment among migrants is much higher than among the local population of European countries. If there is work, migrants often work on a temporary basis and under poor working conditions. WE CAN wants to reverse this trend through social innovation.

Implementation of WE CAN

WE CAN will be implemented in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Spain. These countries will exchange their project experiences, information and best practices with each other in order to jointly find solutions to common problems in the field of socio-economic inclusion of migrants.

Results of WE CAN

After the project period of WE CAN, the following results have been achieved:

• Migrants have followed activation and training programs in the field of (social) entrepreneurship and being able to act as role models (and thereby strengthening their entrepreneurial capacities and soft skills).
• We have trained migrants with skills to act as community navigators and who are able to make connections between the host society and their own community.
• There is a toolbox of information on (social and sustainable) entrepreneurship.
• Certification of the meaning of community navigator with a special focus on migration.
• (European) organizations work together to find solutions to common problems in the field of socio-economic inclusion of migrants (European multi-stakeholder platform).

Partners WE CAN

Partners in the WE CAN project are: Solid Road (The Netherlands), Project School (Italy), Associazione Sensacional (Italy), CHAPTER#2 (Spain), Pro Arbeit (Germany).

More information about the project partners can be found on their websites:

projectschool.eu
chapter2.cat
pa-epm.de
sensacional.org