SE Insider 6th edition

ISSUE 06

Social Economy Insider SOCIAL INCLUSION & DIVERSITY: AGENTS OF CHANGE IN THE SOCIAL ECONOMY

YOUR SOCIAL ECONOMY MAGAZINE

MAY

WELCOME Welcome to our magazine - your essential guide for staying abreast of the ongoing trends in the social economy sector.

In this edition, we explore initiatives from the real agents of the Social Economy, people and organisations that implement projects boosting diversity and inclusion into the ecosystem. Here you can find tools, articles, resources, research and much more related to the latest SE trends.

We are thrilled to present the sixth edition of Social Economy Insider – dive in to discover insights into social economy trends, policy updates, research, and much more.

INDEPENDENT AND AUTONOMOUS Social Economy Insider emerged from the writing of the baSE project, but it aims to transcend its boundaries and become an independent and sustainable entity that unites different actors in the social economy sector.

We would like to invite you all to contribute to the SE magazine by sharing your thoughts and insights on the latest trends and developments in the field.

Your contributions can take the form of articles, case studies, interviews, podcasts or any other format that you feel would be engaging and informative for our readers.

Send us an email at baseproject4skills@gmail.com

SOCIAL ECONOMY INSIDER

ISSUE 06 · MAY

Table of Contents 01

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

03

• EU Social Economy Action Plan: Mid-Term Review Dorotea Daniele, Diesis Network

02

BEST PRACTICES

05

• INSPIRE Project: Smart Village Labs • From Principle to Action — Disability Inclusion • SEQ Elevate: Co-designing Skills with NEET Youth Christina Galani, SYNTHESIS Center

03

GLOBAL PULSE

09

• AI in Vocational Education

04

RESEARCH

10

• Evolving (Dis)Engagement: Sustainability Initiatives Over Time C. Bettker Vasconcelos, A. Sanchez-Zeziaga, K. Henning, Y. van der Meer

05

RESOURCES

11

• Run Your Own Gender Parity & Equality Workshops • Food, Resistance & Community — A Conversation with Irina Aguiari • Learning Beyond Limits — Kiron Campus • Mapping Diversity: Explore Your City

06

ARTICLE

13

• Slovenian Government Measures to Strengthen the Social Economy Karolina Babič and Marina Letonja

07

INSIDE STORIES

15

• Joe Kingdom Tells Us Why He Loves His Job Joe Kingdom, Administrative Assistant at Enable / EASPD, Employment

08

EVENTS — WHAT'S NEXT? • Enterprising for Tomorrow 2026 · Iași (19 May) • Leading Change in Disability Services · Porto (14-15 May) • REVES Days · Östersund (27–29 May) • Strengthening Skills for the Social Economy · Brussels (9 July)

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

EU Social Economy Action Plan:

Mid-Term Review Dorotea Daniele, Head of EU Partnerships - Diesis Network

On March 30, 2026 the Commission has published the Mid Term report of its Action Plan for the Social Economy, reviewing its progress since 2021 and setting out further actions to strengthen the social economy across Europe.

The implementation of the Action Plan

It continues to prove its value as:

is well underway. Most of the 63

A

actions set out in the 2021 action

competitiveness

plan have either been completed

A pillar of resilience

or are ongoing.

A

At national level, in the last five years,

driver

of

prosperity

key

contributor

preparedness

and

and

to

strategic

autonomy.

21 Member States have adopted or are preparing national or regional

Looking ahead, the report proposes

social economy strategies and 12 have

key priorities to make the social

reformed their social economy laws.

economy

Over €1.62 billion in EU funding

robust and widely recognised.

and €1.2 billion in InvestEU

They focus on five pillars:

more

competitive,

guarantees have been allocated to

Strengthening multilevel

support the EU social economy in

governance and implementation

2021-2027.

on the ground, making rules and frameworks work,

It is an important message in a

reinforcing the social investment

world in rapid change: the social

ecosystem,

economy is not a side player — it’s

scaling up skills training and

central to Europe’s future.

entrepreneurship, building the social economy evidence base.

SOCIAL ECONOMY INSIDER

03

Investing in skills development, business support and incubation for social economy

organisations,

while

promoting

social

and

inclusive

entrepreneurship and its potential to empower underserved communities remain at the core of the EU strategy and should be widely promoted by EU member states national and regional actions.

Social economy actors recognise that major progresses have been done in the last years, such as the launch of the Youth

Entrepreneurship

Academy

and

the

Policy

Large

Scale

Partnership for the Proximity and Social Economy Ecosystem in the Pact for Skills.

They also underline that it is crucial to continue

to

strengthen

skills,

capacity and business support for social economy through recognised competence frameworks, social and inclusive

incubation

and

tailored

advisory and innovation services. Twin transition

skills

remain

a

Check here the Mid-term review of the action plan for the social economy SEAP midterm review

key

priority for competitiveness and social

See

the

progress

on

the

economy entities already active in

implementation of the SEAP

circular economy and care sectors can

actions with this developed tracker

provide sector-specific upskilling.

Source: EU Social Economy Gateway - Social Economy Action Plan: progress tracker

SOCIAL ECONOMY INSIDER

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Best Practices

SOCIAL ECONOMY INSIDER

Source: Canva

From housing to new technologies, from employment to rural areas inclusion, these practices show what meaningful inclusion looks like in action, across sectors and borders.

INSPIRE PROJECT Smart Village Labs The INSPIRE project offers unique insights into social inclusion dynamics across seven rural regions in Europe: Greece (Konitsa and Kythera), Ireland (Moate), Slovakia (Košice), Poland (Parczew), France (Auxerre), and Romania (four communes in Suceava and Maramureș counties).

Research teams spent approximately two weeks in each location between late March and early April 2025, engaging directly with local environments and documenting physical conditions, community interactions, public services, and institutional practices.

Beyond the coping mechanisms specific to each pilot community, the research identified common responses shared across rural areas: relying on informal networks, volunteer engagement, religious institutions, and spatial separation.

Common rural support mechanisms identified include: Informal networks as a primary community support system, Volunteer engagement filling gaps left by formal services, Religious institutions providing social and material support, Spatial separation emerging as a response to exclusion dynamics.

INSPIRE promotes wellbeing and inclusion for people living in European rural areas through research, policy solutions and pilot interventions. Read the full "Typology on social wellbeing, resilience and exclusion of European rural areas" to learn more.

Spatial Allocation of the Pilot Areas, INSPIRE project D1.2.

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From Principle to Action

Best practices for disability inclusion A new publication from the SEE working group on disability, led by Fundación ONCE, showcases 11 initiatives from seven countries demonstrating how the social economy drives meaningful inclusion across key sectors. Each practice offers practical insights and transferable solutions, documented through a common structure covering project name, social economy family, location, initiative summary, EU policy alignment, objectives, model used, stakeholders involved, and results.

The initiatives span seven thematic areas: (1) Humanitarian Emergencies, (2) New Technologies, (3) Environment, (4) Housing, (5) Employment, (6) Accessible Health, (7) Care, and Mobility and Personal Autonomy This publication was released by the SEE working group on disability, led by Fundación ONCE. Read the full document at this link.

Housing example Senior Living Pontevedra, Spain The initiative offers modern, accessible apartments where older people, including those with disabilities, live independently while accessing a wide range of optional services, from healthcare and physiotherapy to meals, cleaning, and leisure activities. Unlike traditional care residences, this is a community-based model designed around autonomy, choice, and dignity. Employment within the complex prioritises people with disabilities, reflecting the social enterprise values of ILUNION. SOCIAL ECONOMY INSIDER

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SEQ ELEVATE FROM RESEARCH TO ACTION Co-designing social and emotional skills with NEET Youth Christina Galani, SYNTHESIS Center for Research and Education

SEQ Elevate aims to support young people to re-engage in learning and employment, by strengthening their social and emotional skills through active participation and codesign.

The research covered four countries (Greece, Cyprus, Germany, Belgium) and included 69 NEET youth and 36 stakeholders (employers, trainers, social economy actors) through online surveys, 16 participants in 3 national focus groups and 9 EU-level experts in 1 EUlevel focus group, and National virtual collaboration forums. These consulting activities developed the SEQ Learning Model Framework, grounded in the needs and challenges of NEET youth on the one hand, and in the perspectives of social economy employers on the other.

From Research to Design: The SEQ Learning Model SEQ Elevate aims to develop 24 micro-learning units included in a gamified digital learning application, and the introduction of digital badges and micro-credentials for skills validation.

The SEQ Learning model follows a practice-oriented learning pathway, moving progressively from Understanding Practice Real Performance, where skill development is primarily driven through action, participation and applied experience, as opposed to extensive theoretical instruction. The model deliberately prioritises learning-by-doing as the central pedagogical approach.

→

→

Turning Insights into Hands-on Experience The SEQ Digital Learning Tool Building on these foundations, the SEQ Elevate consortium is moving to the next phase: developing micro-learning units on social and emotional skills for the gamified digital app.

This tool will support flexible, engaging learning and enable skill validation through digital badges and micro-credentials.

The first outputs, the Transnational Research Report and the SEQ Learning Model Framework (still under refinement), will soon be available on the project website.

SOCIAL ECONOMY INSIDER

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Global pulse AI IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AI and advanced technologies could support neurodivergent learners in VET (Vocational Education and Training) settings, including workbased learning, apprenticeships, and the transition to work.

Drawing on over 50 stakeholder interviews, this report highlights the potential of these technologies to make VET more adaptive, accessible and inclusive for learners with: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia

OPPORTUNITIES & RISKS Extended Reality (XR) technologies can enable immersive, adaptable and practice-oriented learning, while accessibility tools such as speech-totext have become more accurate thanks to advances in AI and cloud computing. However, the use of AI raises risks related to data privacy, bias, socio-emotional well-being and skill development, many of which also apply to the wider learner population.

SOCIAL ECONOMY INSIDER

SUPPORTIVE TOOLS Several tools are already available to support neurodivergent learners and their teachers: Read&Write — designed for students with literacy challenges EyeJustRead — a reading tool providing personalised insights Dragon Speech Recognition — allows learners to express ideas verbally instead of typing Goblin Tools & Tiimo — support planning and time management Ayoa — generates images and mind maps from free text prompts

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Research EVOLVING (DIS)ENGAGEMENT: How employees respond to sustainability initiatives over time Carolina Bettker Vasconcelos, Ane Sanchez-Zeziaga, Klaus Henning, Yvonne van der Meer

Organisations often launch sustainability initiatives hoping to create positive impact and engage their employees. But employees' reactions are not static — they evolve, sometimes shifting from enthusiasm to skepticism depending on how these initiatives unfold.

This study examines why this shift happens and how organizations can sustain engagement rather than unintentionally undermine it. Drawing on interviews, survey data, and causal loop diagrams, a tool from systems thinking, the research finds that simple or symbolic sustainability actions can boost motivation at first by showing visible intent and creating early momentum.

Over time, however, employees develop deeper knowledge and stronger critical thinking about sustainability. As their expectations rise, they seek real, tangible impact rather than symbolic gestures. When perceived impact fails to meet those expectations, a "vulnerability period" emerges, a phase in which frustration, doubt, and disengagement can grow. If left unmanaged, this can become a self-reinforcing cycle that weakens support for sustainability efforts and increases pressure on the organization.

The key message is that symbolic initiatives are not necessarily harmful, especially at the beginning of a sustainability journey. Yet to maintain long-term engagement, organizations must "walk the talk" through consistent, substantial actions whose impact can withstand increasing employee scrutiny.

Front. Sustain., 21 November 2025 Sec. Sustainable Consumption Volume 6 - 2025 Read the full article here.

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Discover Our

Run Your Own Gender Parity and Equality Workshops

Would you like to engage your organisation's decision-makers on issues of gender parity and equality?

This step-by-step workshop kit guides you through a series of sessions designed to spark meaningful conversations and drive change from within.

Flexible and adaptable, it can be tailored to suit your organisation's specific context and needs. Read more here.

Food, Resistance & Community Engagement A Conversation with Irina Aguiari In this podcast episode of the RiSE Project, Irina Aguiari, a Postdoctoral Researcher at Scuola Normale Superiore and an expert in community agriculture, shares insights from her fieldwork on grassroots food systems in Italy. She explores the power of participatory action research, the ethics of engaged scholarship, and how collective food production can foster resilience, autonomy, and social transformation.

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Resources

Learning beyond limits Free, self-paced online courses to support people in building skills and entering the labour market.

Kiron Campus offers cohort-based programs with a stronger focus on practical, careeroriented learning, including coaching, mentoring, and employer connections. Kiron works to ensure that underserved communities are not left behind.

Mapping diversity Explore your city In a platform for discovering key facts about diversity and representation in street names across Europe, and to spark a debate about who is missing from our urban spaces.

Data from 155,468 streets across 32 major European cities, located in 19 different countries. More than 90% of the streets named after individuals are dedicated to white men.

Where did all the other inhabitants of Europe end up? The lack of diversity in toponymy speaks volumes about our past and contributes to shaping Europe’s present and future

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Article

News: Slovenian Government to Implement Measures to Strengthen the Social Economy Karolina Babič and Marina Letonja

In March 2026, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Programme of Measures for the Implementation of the Social Economy Development Strategy for the Period 2026–2030, which represents the key operational document for achieving the objectives of the Social Economy Development Strategy for the Period 2026–2035.

The measures, some of which include allocated funding while others do not, cover the following areas: Promotion of social entrepreneurship, Creation of a supportive business environment for social enterprises, Promotion of employment in social enterprises, Facilitation of access to investment financing for social enterprises.

The measures also foresee support for the development of an umbrella network organisation for the social economy, which will undertake advocacy and other expert tasks related to promoting and developing the social economy. One of the major shortcomings of the social economy sector in Slovenia has been the absence of a national umbrella organisation, despite the relatively well-developed support environment for the social economy being fragmented.

Sources: Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia (18.3.2026); Program of measures for the implementation of the Social Economy Development Strategy for the period 2026–30

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The specific measure “Training and education of persons responsible for working with vulnerable groups” is also noteworthy, as it provides funding from ESF+, that will also finance two other measures: “Learning Workshops Plus”, aimed at training vulnerable unemployed individuals within SEOs; as well as “Promote employment in social enterprises” with the goal of professionalisation and increasing the added value of social enterprises in the market. However, the measure “Supporting education and training” does not foresee dedicated financial resources, as such activities are often funded through international projects.

What is most notably lacking in the programme is a stronger substantive focus, or clearer incentives for the development of those services and products within the social economy that contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable society.

The only measure aimed at fostering the development of new products in social enterprises and cooperatives defines one very broad priority area, namely Social innovation, which is somewhat vague and overly general, and one very narrow focus, namely the Promotion of the so-called silver economy, for which no analytical justification is provided.

In total, more than EUR 28 million is allocated for strengthening the social economy in Slovenia in the period 2026–2030. However, it should be noted that almost EUR 20 million of this amount is dedicated to employment promotion through ESF+ funding. These funds primarily serve the broader objective of increasing overall employability, with the social economy representing only one of the areas through which this objective is pursued.

Nevertheless, it is encouraging that the adoption of the programme of measures followed last year’s adoption of the strategy, especially given that the social economy in Slovenia has developed over the past decade without adequate strategic documents.

Source: Canva

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INSIDE STORIES Joe Kingdom tells us why he loves his job EASPD, Employment - Joe Kingdom, Administrative Assistant at Enable

Joe Kingdom is a successful Administrative Assistant at Enable.

Joe has a learning disability; this means he requires learning support to understand things at his own pace.

So, he decided to join the Breaking Barriers Programme, an initiative that supports people with disabilities to find jobs in the UK. Through the programme, the enroled students attend a Business School and receive an accredited qualification upon completion of the programme.

How important is your job for you?

Joe: It is very important for me. It gives me a reason to get out of my bed in the morning. When you are young, and you don’t have too many opportunities, it is important to hang on to what you like to do. For example, I did not like university, so doing a job was clearly the path for me. It has been liberating for me.

I also really like going to the office. I am more focussed and don’t have too many distractions. I like an office environment.

In my role, I also have opportunities to grow. For example, I am currently enroled in a paralegal course that I am doing at work to improve my skills and knowledge. I keep learning new things and never really get bored at my job.

Read more about the initiative and Joe’s full interview here

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What’s Next?

Enterprising for Tomorrow 2026 When: 19 May / Iași, Romania Find more information and register here

Leading Change in Disability Services - Strengthening capacity for person-centred support When: 14-15 May 2026 / Porto, Portugal Registration here

REVES Days 2026: Social Economy - an indispensable partner for strategic public policies fostering resilience throughout Europe When: 27-29 May / Östersund - Sweden Agenda and registration

Strengthening Skills for the Social Economy: from Blueprint to Action When: 9 July 2026 / Brussels (hybrid format for participants) Registration here

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DISCLAIMER DISCLAIMER The information and opinions expressed in this magazine are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or endorsement of the publication, its editors nor the European Commission. All content, including articles, reports, media and images, is provided for informational purposes only. Readers are encouraged to verify any information and consult with the mentioned authors, where applicable, before making decisions based on the content of this magazine.

This magazine is a product of the baSE project, co-funded by the European Commission. For more information about the baSE project, please visit www.socialeconomyskills.eu. The collection of materials for this magazine has been led by Diesis Network, with Giulia Georg and Davide Durante serving as the main editors and providing support in gathering materials and content from all the baSE partnership organisations.

For inquiries, please contact: Social Economy Insider www.socialeconomyskills.eu https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/base-project/ baseproject4skills@gmail.com

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