Call for Applications: A Social Entrepreneurship Program in Western Balkans

The incubation program is looking for a new generation of young people aged between 16 and 35 from the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia) determined to make a difference in their community.

RISE (Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs) with its ten partners, supports any venture by young people in the Western Balkans that aims to have a positive social or environmental impact on their ecosystems. After the success of its first cycle, RISE has launched its second phase with a focus on enabling young people in the region to get to know each other better, exchange ideas and create new synergies to promote reconciliation in the region. The project will contribute to the development of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem and improve access to social entrepreneurship for young people in the Western Balkans region.

To take part in the program, teams will need to demonstrate:

• their motivation to learn about social entrepreneurship and get involved in a regional intercultural program ;
• their ambition to develop a concrete idea with a social impact;
• their willingness to learn from others in the region.

RISE Journey 4, from idea to Social Business

• The essence of the RISE Journey program lies in its support to young people in the Western Balkans in transforming their ideas into sustainable social enterprises.
• Implemented by the six local structures operating in the region, the RISE Journey offers participants a 9-month program divided into the ideation and incubation chapters.
• The Ideation Chapter offers young entrepreneurs a range of training courses, coaching sessions, meetups and a mentorship programme enabling them to transform their ideas into sustainable social and environmental projects. At the end of this chapter, participants have the opportunity to present a social enterprise model, highlighting its impact and viability. The two most promising ideas will be awarded with a 3000€ business development and mobility grant each, as well as access to the Incubation Chapter.

RISE, Social Entrepreneurship as a tool for Reconciliation

• The RISE project aims to open up new areas of reconciliation for young people in the Western Balkans through social entrepreneurship.
• To this end, the project is actively working to enrich the social entrepreneurship landscape by strengthening the skills of six local support structures (ARNO, Balkan Green Foundation, IEC Tehnopolis, Nesto Vise, Smart Kolektiv and Yunus Social Business Balkans).
• In addition, RISE promotes access to social entrepreneurship through its targeted support program for young people in the region who aspire to generate social or environmental impact within their communities.

Who can apply?

• Young people from 16 to 35 years old from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, speaking English well enough to actively participate in an international program, in a group of a minimum of 2 persons that have:
  • Availability and readiness to participate in a program with 4 hours of active participation per week and meetups during 3 months ideation phase, whether these are in online or offline format.
  • High motivation to learn about social entrepreneurship and to be involved in a regional intercultural program.
  • The ambition to develop a concrete idea with social impact.
  • The willingness to learn from other actors in the region.
  • At least, have identified a social/environmental issue they want to tackle.
  • At most, worked on their idea on a small scale / at a personal level, without having engaged in a real business activity yet.
  • The idea impact is regional or local.

Selection Criteria

• Key criteria
  • The key criteria that applicants will need to demonstrate are:
  • Strong motivation to participate in the program, the mindset of a true change-maker and commitment to fully participate in 3 months of ideation program.
  • How the idea tackles a critical social/environmental issue.
  • The potential for the idea to become a sustainable business.
  • More than half of the team members speak English.
  • Advantage will be given to teams that haven’t previously been supported / funded by another existing support program which delivers similar trainings and knowledge to entrepreneurs.
• Advantageous criteria
  • Additional points are going to be awarded if the idea:
  • The innovation is implemented in a local context.
  • Has the potential to scale or replicate in the region.
  • Has the potential to create additional jobs.
  • Respects gender-equality principles.

For more information, visit RISE.