So New (SOcial EntrepreNEurship noW)

The problem addressed by the GP is high unemployment especially among women, youngsters and social vulnerable groups. The GP reaches its objectives by providing complementary services: information, advisory, personal and group consultation, training, incubating, mentoring and networking to the beneficiaries in order to find a job, start-up a business, start or develop a cooperative business or association.
Between 1995-2010, Ergani Center built an important expertise in the field of supporting cooperatives through its work with women rural cooperatives in Northern Greece. Based in the recent Greek law for Social Economy, Ergani Center started to work as a Community Center, supporting the starting-up and development of this new type of social cooperatives. Ergani prepared tools, trained staff and provided a number of services to new or existing cooperatives.
Between Aug 2015-Jul 2016, Ergani implemented a project, funded by a private donor. During this time, it has supported more than 150 persons and 60 groups or Social cooperatives.
Key actors are:
-The partners of Ergani Center: Municipality of Neapoli-Sykies, Anatoliki SA, Association of Exporters -Northern Greece, University of Western Macedonia, Alexander Technical Educational Institution of Thessaloniki
-The partners of the project “Women in Network” (NGO) & the “Earth Spiral” (Social Cooperatives)
- The “Social Cooperatives Network of Central Macedonia”, created by Social Cooperatives supported by the project.