Supporting European Integration trough Promotion of Alternative Economy and Social Cohesion in Serbia

Backround:
The so called third sector in Serbia has created the foundations for social change and contributed to the political changes of October 2000.
Due to the dramatic increase of poverty and unemployment, civil society organizations recently started to see their potential in helping to improve the overall social situation. Nevertheless, these experiences are still in learning phase and initial stage of development.
It can be said that one part of non-profit scene in Serbia as well as cooperative’s forms could be considered as future actors for strengthening social cohesion at the local level.

Objectives:
General objective of project is to increase knowledge and understanding of social economy, and the context within which they operate in Serbia. Focus of project will be on research, promotion and understanding of innovative capabilities of SE actors in Serbia.
The project’s overall objective is to:

1. Enhance the Social cohesion in Serbia in difficult economic circumstances, and
2. Raise the knowledge about alternative economy

Project will support promotion and understanding of alternative economy, strengthen its entrepreneurship potential as well as service providing and through learning and recommendations support government policy in these important area.

Brief description of project:
The project will provide a much-needed analysis of the complex issues related to SE and contribute to strengthen the capacity and opportunity of these alternative forms of economy in Serbia. The research part of the project will be directed on field study in order to collect information about new forms of alternative economy in Serbia, analyze the evolution of SE over time, as well as opportunities and best practices. Research will also show normative aspect, and will help in making better environment for developing this area, by establishing complete legal framework
Brochurewill be published containing results of research. This publication will have purpose to map all good practise, as well as to stress weakness and directions for improvement.
The learning seminars will promote the concept of alternative economy; particularly issues connected with the new cooperative forms and successful social entrepreneurship, and provide better understanding of the contemporary trends of the socially oriented economy and social dialogue as an important part of social policy reconstruction process in Serbia. Seminars will be held, in Vojvodina, Sandžak and South Serbia.

Target Groups:
The main target groups of proposed project would be selected among relevant civil group’s representatives dealing with welfare services, trade union representatives, governmental bodies (representatives of the Ministry for Employment and Social Policy, local government representatives), professionals from centres for social work and national employment services, policy makers, and wider public.
Publication will be widely disseminated, especially to the policy and decision makers, while the seminars will target identified stakeholders in specific region of Vojvodina, Sandzak and South Serbia.