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The busy OBCD Autumn culminated in the Social Entrepreneurship Day held on November 21st in Helsinki. Social Entrepreneurship Day is the main event in the field in Finland and it gathers all the main operators of social economy in the country – politicians and decision makers, research institutions and support organizations as well as the social entrepreneurs themselves. OBCD’s role in the event was to organize entertaining content for the day and activate the participants. The Finnish partners developed a nice game to facilitate networking and held a panel discussion of the power of networks showcasing the great work of the OBCD ecosystem in Finland. Finnish OBCD Ecosystem Booming and Blooming Three members of the Finnish OBCD ecosystem, the network of social enterprises developed during the project, Satu Luukkonen from Lapinlahden Lähde, Heini Maisala-McDonnell from Metropolia UAS and Helena Miettinen from Helsinki Business College Ltd shared their experiences of the power of networks in an insightful and inspiring panel discussion. The cooperation of different organizations has brought new ideas, knowledge and skills and resources for all the ecosystem members. Last but not the least, working together in the Finnish ecosystem has been fun and fruitful! Concrete examples of the fruits of our Finnish ecosystem brought up in the discussion were the project works accomplished in the OBCD training pilot, which provided helpful development ideas for Lapinlahden Lähde. Also, the Bootcamp in Italy was a great experience for learning and networking with international organizations for everyone.   Bingo! – Networking Made Easy and Fun Networking was made fun and easy at the event thanks to the networking bingo developed by the Finnish OBCD partners. Making networking a game was perceived as a good way to activate people to break the ice. The bingo leaflet encouraged oneself to engage with different activities, such as introducing people to each other, making compliments and posing a question and to get a new contact in LinkedIn. Networking is important to all enterprises, especially to social enterprises which usually work in large consortiums. Being active and putting yourself out there is worth the efforts – as could be learned from the great example of the Finnish OBCD ecosystem. All in all, the Social Entrepreneurship Day was inspiring with new ideas and contacts to continue the work in promoting social entrepreneurship in Finland.

In recent years, diverse ecosystems for social enterprises have begun to develop in Finland, with national strategies and EU social economy plans driving this development. This progress is driven by national strategies, as well as the EU’s social economy plans. Currently, in addition to the OBCD ecosystem, several networks are operating or being launched in Finland, including the WISE network, RENET, and regional networks by YYO, the Center of Expertise for Social Enterprises.  The WISE network focuses on work-integration social enterprises that promote employment by providing job opportunities for people facing challenges in entering the traditional labor market. RENET is the network for SE’s operating in recycling sector and connects actors who are dedicated to fostering the circular economy and sustainable development. YYO’s regional networks support social enterprises at a local level throughout Finland, offering region-specific resources and expertise.  Sandra Englund leads local and regional support at YYO and summarizes about the functioning ecosystems based on the first year’s experience: “In our work, we have observed that ecosystems operating in different areas have developed very differently, and their functionality is influenced by many factors. However, our conclusion is that the key elements in well-functioning ecosystems are a shared sense of purpose, trust, and regular, effective communication.”  The ecosystems rely on active and broad, cross-sector participation. Public sector actors, educational institutions, businesses and representatives of the local and community economy all play crucial roles in co-development, each bringing unique perspectives and expertise to the ecosystem. Through collaboration, they aim to support the growth of social enterprises on both regional and national levels.  This approach to ecosystem building is guiding Finland toward a more socially and environmentally sustainable economy, where a variety of stakeholders collaborate to create meaningful, lasting impact. It’s inspiring to witness organizations across the country coming together with a common goal: to build a better, more sustainable future. 

Removal of carbon from the atmosphere through carbon credits and Biochar donation   The AGCI Umbria, within the actions promoted by the European project OBCD – Open Business for Community Development, in particular in the one concerning the construction and development of the Local Ecosystem, considered it important to involve its Community Cooperatives and other partners belonging to the Local Ecosystem Italy OBCD in the event that was held on Friday 18 October 2024, at the National Fire Prevention Institute in Rome. An important week for the climate in Italy took place from 14 to 19 October, which began in Florence on 14 October with the Biochar School, organised by iChar – the Italian Biochar Association, and culminated in Rome on 18 October with the BiochART exhibition round table, held from 3 to 27 October 2024 at the Istituto Superiore Antincendi and sponsored by the Lazio Region and the Pistoletto Foundation. As far as OBCD’s Ecosistema Italia is concerned, in addition to AGCI Umbria, numerous partners participated in the event: the Community Cooperatives BE VALNERINA and LOCALCARBON ITALIA, the cooperative BASE 3, the Social Promotion Association Roma Open Lab, the Consortium Meuccio Ruini Impresa Sociale, AGCI Nazionale, IT Impresa e Territorio Srl, EFTILIA società benefit and the social cooperatives LA SPERANZA of Terni and ITINERA of Rome. The program of the event, which had a high political and institutional profile, allowed the participating members of Ecosistema Locale Italia to deepen their understanding of the political lines that are being defined, at a European and world level, regarding the burning issue of Carbon Dioxide Removal and the increasingly urgent need to provide all European countries and the entire international community with appropriate legislation on the subject. The importance of the need to alleviate the carbon footprint of anthropogenic activities has been established by international bodies such as the IPCC, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, because it is now clear that we will not be able to stay within the parameters of the 2015 Paris Agreement, and therefore, in addition to reducing emissions, we will have to capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the earth. For this reason, the production and use of biochar is a methodology that is rapidly gaining popularity, because through the thermochemical process called pyrolysis, organic carbon from plants is transformed into an inert that remains stable for hundreds or thousands of years in the soil. This process can be applied to all agricultural waste by utilizing process heat also for greenhouses and livestock farms and improving soil fertility. Professor Hamed Sanei from Denmark’s Aarhus University brought new and irrefutable scientific evidence on the stability of Biochar in soil, Prof. Stephen Joseph, PhD, author of 84 studies and 11 books on Biochar, connected from Australia, spoke about the benefits of Biochar to protect soil and crops from drought, and Dr. Ziv Nadav biochemist with a PhD in Neurobiology and CEO of Earth Biochar, connected from Israel, spoke about its use as a carrier to bring probiotic microbes into the soil, useful to protect crops from drought diseases. Ziv Nadav, a biochemist with a PhD in Neurobiology and CEO of Earth Biochar, reporting from Israel, spoke about its use as a carrier to bring probiotic microbes into the soil, which are useful in protecting crops from cryptogamic diseases. The Round Table was organised by Sole 24Ore environmental journalist Rita Salimbeni and officiated by Fire Brigade Commander Ing. Clara Modesto, who took office on 3 October after years of service in Latina. Numerous speeches followed, including one by Prof. Mauro Giorcelli of the Polytechnic University of Turin, who spoke about the multiple uses – agricultural and otherwise – of biochar, and one by Dr. Silvia Scozzafava, environmental scientist and creator of the Italian BlockCO2 platform, who explained why carbon credits from biochar donation are inherently more reliable than other types of credits available. The President of the Community Co-operative Localcarbon Italia, Silvia Sandri, gave a professional and passionate speech; she started from the concept of the Third Paradise by Maestro Michelangelo Olivero Pistoletto, because in the work it starts from the sign of infinity, made of two circles: one circle symbolises the natural world and the other circle symbolises the artificial and technological world. In the Third Paradise, a ‘belly’ is added, a third circle in the centre symbolising the harmonious union of these two worlds. Well, Localcarbon Italia‘s proposal was to use the tool of the Social and Solidarity Economy to achieve this, primarily in the area of carbon removal from the atmosphere, but more broadly in all other areas as well. An appeal was launched to set up a Permanent Round Table to ‘work as a system’, proposing a meeting date, 24 March 2025, in Rome to announce the first results obtained. Silvia Sandri emphasised the close relationship between Localcarbon Italia and the AGCI Cooperative Centre – General Association of Italian Cooperatives, which sponsors and supports the cooperative in its virtuous actions against the increase of companies’ carbon footprint, through training on the Sustainability Report, the promotion of carbon credits and the consequent donation of Biochar to agricultural enterprises, especially cooperatives. The President illustrated their participation in the European project #GRAINS – Greening Agribusiness in the Social Economy, which through AGCI (one of the GRAINS project partners) will receive funding from the European Innovation Council and the Executive Agency for SMEs. This initiative is aimed at Social Economy organisations willing to share their knowledge and experience in order to strengthen Social Economy SMEs in the agri-food sector. The President also illustrated the state of the art of the European project OBCD – OPEN BUSINESS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, describing in particular the actions aimed at setting up the Local Ecosystem Italy, of which the Community Cooperative LOCALCARBON ITALIA is an active part, whose aim is the promotion of social entrepreneurship through the form of confrontation and exchange of ideas, information and initiatives between different actors from the world of business, universities, social promotion associations, public

On this important day, we reflect on the intersection of education, empowerment, and gender equality, highlighting how initiatives like the OBCD project contribute to transformative change. Key achievements from the OBCD Project: Empowering Participation: The project brought together nearly 60 participants from five countries (Italy, Greece, Finland, Spain, and the Netherlands), with 41 women actively involved. Leadership Excellence: Guided by a female project coordinator, OBCD emphasizes building skills, fostering networks, and creating equitable opportunities in the social economy sector. Transforming through training The OBCD project’s training modules are designed to bridge gaps, break barriers, and drive innovation. Key features include: Diverse Curriculum: Modules on innovation, diversity, financial management, and ecosystems tailored to EQF-ECTS standards (levels 5 and 6). Interactive Methods: Combining online learning, practical sessions, and project-based activities for applicability in real-world scenarios. Female-Led Insights: Sessions featuring female entrepreneurs served as role models, offering strategies for success in the social economy. One participant shared: “The involvement of female entrepreneurs was very enlightening during the practical sessions.” Training outcomes: Over 400 learners from four countries enhanced their competencies in social enterprise management. Training evaluation data revealed high satisfaction levels, with 201 women among 315 respondents rating the program as highly impactful. 🎓 Academic contributions that inspire Emma Ricci, a student from Università di Roma Tor Vergata, exemplifies the project’s impact. Supervised by Natalia Marzia Gusmerotti, in her thesis, “Women Empowerment as a Driver of Sustainable Innovation: A Case Study Analysis in SMEs,” she explores how empowering women drives innovation in small and medium enterprises. Her findings align closely with the OBCD mission and demonstrate the transformative potential of gender equality in the workplace. Promoting gender equity The OBCD project is taking steps to ensure systemic change by developing tools to measure social impacts. One critical indicator is the percentage of women in leadership roles within Social Enterprises. Global studies, like the UN Women 2023 report, highlight the persistent underrepresentation of women in managerial roles despite educational and workforce parity. By addressing this gap, OBCD is paving the way for equitable leadership and social progress.   📚 Further Reading: UN Women 2050 Report: Forecasting Women in Leadership Positions GEM 2022/2023 Women’s Entrepreneurship Report: Challenging Bias and Stereotypes