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In the German city of Kiel, every idea is worth seeing - and there is no shortage of them.
Overview
Founders of social start-ups – so-called social entrepreneurs – have a one-stop contact point in Schleswig-Holstein: the yooweedoo programme. Based at Kiel University, yooweedoo facilitates social entrepreneurship with workshops, project advice, an ideas competition and an active network for sharing lessons learned.
Background
Through their business, social entrepreneurs aim primarily to help achieve sustainable development and solve social problems. For example, they seek to empower disadvantaged social groups, or protect the environment and the climate. Unlike social institutions, social enterprises are financially independent. When they make a profit, they plough it back into their businesses.
Many social entrepreneurs, especially young ones, have innovative ideas for solving societal problems. However, they lack expertise in project planning, financing and marketing, for example.
In Kiel, they receive support from yooweedoo, a learning programme that is integrated into the university's international master's course 'Sustainability, Society and the Environment', and the bachelor's course in geography. But non-students can also contact yooweedoo and take advantage of the offers.
Objectives
yooweedoo supports social entrepreneurs in planning and implementing an innovative business idea in order to help solve a social problem. The project motivates young people in particular to get involved as social entrepreneurs.
Activities
yooweedoo supports social entrepreneurs in three areas:
Academy for Social Entrepreneurship: The academy offers free workshops, online courses and project consulting on all issues related to the founding of social enterprise projects, associations and start-ups. The programme addresses numerous topics – ranging from legal forms for social enterprises, to creative methods, organisational culture and data protection.
Ideas competition: Every year, yooweedoo promotes ideas for innovative social/environmental projects with a competition. The winners receive start-up capital of up to 2,000 euros each, as well as extensive advice. They are also able to take part in various courses and events.
Networking: The yooweedoo community enables local, regional and national networking with more than 3,000 other social entrepreneurs.
Effects
Since 2012, yooweedo has supported more than 100 projects in planning and setting up their activities. One example is the project ResteRitter: The founders collect leftover or sorted fruit from private households and traders, from which they make and sell jams and chutneys. With the proceeds, they support amongst other things the project MachMittag e.V. By doing so they are fighting wastefulness, unnecessary garbage and child poverty.
The Umtüten project sells reusable bags for baked goods, fruit and vegetables as an alternative to disposable paper bags. The sustainable bags are available at almost 100 shops, bakeries.
Conclusions
There is no shortage of ideas for sustainable businesses anywhere. In Kiel, with the help of yooweedoo, these ideas can more easily be turned into reality and become long-term successful business models. Especially for young start-ups at the university, this is a great opportunity to develop solutions for real social problems and to receive entrepreneurial expertise, start-up financing and comprehensive advice.
more information
Website of yooweedoo - empowerment for change:
https://www.yooweedoo.org/de/news
Published: 12/01/2022
Contact
Stefan Miethig
Kiel School of Sustainability
Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
E-Mail: miethig(at)yooweedoo.org
Images
Categories:
Integrated urban development
The social city
Local economic development
Corporate Social Responsibility / CSR
Start-up promotion
Fostering innovation
Regions:
Europe
Germany
Kiel
