ALS Nea Alikarnassos

ACTION LEARNING SET – ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

Partner: Nea Alikarnassos – Greece

Members of the ALS (names and e-mails): Renia Drosou (reniadrosou@yahoo.gr), Christina Pediaditaki (social2@anher.gr), Eva Katsaraki (europa@anher.gr)

WHAT DO YOU WISH TO REALIZE BY JUNE?

WHAT KIND OF PRODUCT (PROJECT PROPOSAL, ACTION PLAN, OR OTHER)?

Major Priority of Nea Alikarnassos City is the establishment of an EDUCATION AND CULTURE CENTRE (Welcome Centre and Info Point) for migrants, Roma and other minorities of the area, in order to provide: language courses and vocational training information and practical help concerning bureaucratic procedures, obligations and rights counselling concerning vocational support (e.g. business planning) support and guidance for job attainment The Centre will support a one-stop service, which will provide all necessary information for entrepreneurship and employment opportunities. Also, guidance will be available, concerning all issues pertaining to a successful integration of all migrants and Roma people. The Centre will be responsible and promote: the central organization and connection between all services and programs which adhere to enterprise development the self organization of minorities (meeting point) – creation of cultural action networks the sensitization and constant training of professionals, working with minority social groups together with the training of local facilitators the local community connection with other cultures

It is important to mention that the Centre will include actions relevant with all three Action Learning Sets of MILE Project. Our experience, through the Health and Social Centre for Roma (two years program), shows that it is easier for minorities to reach an organization that covers their immediate needs. Through their first contacts with the service and the gradual development of trust, it is easier to approach them in order to discuss other important issues of their lives. Also, the Centre will offer its services not only to Nea Alikarnassos city, but also to the broader urban area.

Central Idea àIt is not easy to change the legislative system but it is possible to come up with new forms and ideas of enterprise development, through the combination of culture, technology and innovation. Therefore it is interesting, through the above-mentioned centre, to promote forms of enterprises that can be combined with culture, special way of living and existing abilities. For example: Handicraft Business – Ability of Roma women in sewing and making jewels Collection and Recycling metal – Common activity for many Roma families Enterprises for the promotions of traditional food and music – interesting combinations with local elements Group businesses – organized services in job areas that are usually characterized with large number of uninsured workers (cleaning services, covering seasonal needs in the areas of agriculture and tourism etc.)

WHAT ACTIONS WILL YOU TAKE TO ACHIVE YOUR GOAL?

Our first priority seems to be the actual involvement of the Managing Authority, in order to locate funds (separately from MILE project), in order to reconstruct the building that can be used for the Centre’s establishment. Of course, the Managing Authority needs to have a stable opinion inside our team.

As we have mentioned during our meetings, enterprise development in Greece, especially for minorities like migrants and Roma, is connected with many legal obstacles. And also we have to consider the fact than the majority of minorities is strongly connected with informal form of work, a habit that is difficult to change from one day to another. We need the involvement of migrants and Roma’s informal representatives in order to propose actions inside the Centre that will be useful.

Also we need to organize technical and information meetings with local organizations and services, like: Heraklion Commercial Chamber, Greek Manpower Employment Organization, Cretan Centre for Enterprise and Technological Development, Businesses’ Incubators, Technological Parks etc. It is very important to collect the biggest range of local comments, experiences and propositions in order to produce a proposal that reflects local reality. It can be said that inside the broader urban area someone finds a variety of organizations and programmes that interfere with entrepreneurship. Our goal is to bring them in contact, inform them about MILE Project and search the possible ways for collaboration.

Generally, we think that it is important to produce a brochure that can provide information about MILE Action Learning Sets. Also, we can write relevant articles for local newspapers and the official Nea Alikarnassos webpage.

WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT DO YOU NEED?

The support that we need mainly refers to: Focus areas – how can we emphasize the gender issue and in what other groups do we need to concentrate on, in order to create an “attractive” proposal Tools and forms in order to provide a better result, cornering the proposal paper (technical matters) fro further funding Information on examples of good practices Information on programs content with funding of Municipalities to promote entrepreneurship