Green Rural Deal

Green Rural Deal is a project initiated between Balkan Green Foundation, Wuppertal Institute, Germanwatch, Regional Association of Local Government of Western Macedonia and RES Foundation, with support from European Climate Initiative (EUKI) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).

The project’s objective is to develop local capacities for a transition to a zero-carbon economy in three target regions: Western Macedonia (Greece), Kamenica (Kosovo), and Priboj (Serbia). The project centers on supporting and empowering municipalities in rural regions in the said countries in cooperation with German municipalities through local capacity building, peer-to-peer learning and co-creation of concrete projects.

Looking forward, Green Rural Deal will produce recommendations for each target region and work with core stakeholders in each region to co-create sustainable project strategies.

Green Rural Deal will bring together regional and local stakeholders of different types and from different policy arenas to:

  • Co-create their own future.
  • Provide a manual to support other regions. 
  • Compile policy briefing targeting decision-makers at the national and European level in an attempt to raise awareness for the need of rural regions.

RISE (Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs)

The RISE (Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs) supports young change-makers in developing their impactful ideas into sustainable social businesses. The tailor-made support program is developed and monitored by the Consortium consisting of RYCO, GROUPE SOS Pulse, SEEYN, the Institut français, and the Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO), and supported by the Agence Française de Développement and Regional Youth Cooperation Office. Balkan Green Foundation is one of the six local incubators in the Western Balkans region responsible for implementing RISE activities.

The objective of the project is to address a specific and crucial need in the region in relation to its current context and history: opening new spaces of reconciliation for the youth of the Western Balkans through social entrepreneurship. The project, due to its very regional nature, will tend to increase the number of cross-border interactions around social entrepreneurship during the 3 years of the project and thereafter.

  • The first specific objective is to enrich the capacity of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Western Balkans region. This  specific objective is aimed at local support structures (RISE incubators) who are promoting innovative and social projects and project leaders.
  • The second specific objective is linked to the very nature of the project: to encourage reconciliation through social entrepreneurship, it is necessary to encourage a favorable context for the development of entrepreneurial projects. Raising awareness of social entrepreneurship in Western Balkan societies is a key element in the development of the project and should generate a dynamic and informed community of young social entrepreneurs.

Road Map of Social Enterprises

The Road Map of Social Enterprises project is supported by Erasmus Plus Programme and responds to the needs of the partners and their communities in the field of social entrepreneurship by using digital tools at youth work to address youth unemployment and empower young people. 8 partners from 8 countries will work for 24 months on the digital tool for knowledge exchange and networking in social entrepreneurship. 

The main objective of the project is to contribute to the creation of a supportive social entrepreneurial environment in participating countries; to develop a durable, tool, a MAP, website and application for networking, and knowledge exchange about social entrepreneurship with concrete examples of social enterprises and tools supporting cross-sectorial cooperation; to support cooperation between Programme and Partner countries and development of new project initiatives addressing youth unemployment and developing the entrepreneurial mindset of young people.

Furthermore, the foreseen activities are dedicated to the growth of capacities of the youth organizations (training and online learning), mapping social entrepreneurial practices and development of the digital tool, a MAP, and contributing to creating a supportive social entrepreneurial environment in participating countries by making social enterprises visible and accessible (international and national multiplier events).