1 . Introduction to the Social Start Ups Project
Social Start Ups is a project funded by the European Union , under the Erasmus + KA2 Programme . Led by Tamat ; an Italian NGO , the project partners are the Futures Entrepreneurship Centre at Plymouth University ( UK ), Parco Tecnologico 3-A ( Italy ), Municipality of Brtonigla ( Croatia ), Amsed NGO ( France ), and the Norwich Business School at the University of East Anglia ( UK ).
The goal of the project was to develop , test and validate a learning methodology for adult learners by experimenting the Ethical Purchasing Groups ( EPGs ) model as a real laboratory for the acquisition of key competences . To do this , the Social Start Ups project adopted a „ learning by doing ‟ approach , which included the direct involvement of adult participants in the Ethical Purchasing Groups start-up and management activities . The project also aimed to define , through a participatory approach , a sustainable model of EPGs that met the needs of both producers and consumers .
Amsed ( in France ), Verteneglio Municipality ( in Croatia ) and Tamat ( in Italy ), implemented the designed methodology created by DrHaya Al-Dajani and her colleagues at the Futures Entrepreneurship Centre of Plymouth University . During this experimentation phase , these organisations worked with EPGs in their localities to develop social enterprise models associated with the EPGs ‟ priorities . The experimentation phase was completed in September 2016 , and the toolkit was finalised based on the outcomes of the application during the experimentation phase . Please go to http :// www . tamat . org / index . php / en / our-projects / european-projects / item / 31-social-startups . html to download the Social Start Ups Project Handbook which is available in Croatian , English , French , and Italian , and where you can find the complete toolkit .
Introduction to this Project Handbook
This Handbook presents the Social Starts Ups project as it was designed , implemented , and evaluated by the participating mentors and trainees in Croatia , France and Italy . In the ensuing pages you will learn about the project partners and the mentors delivering the social starts ups training programme , the methodological tool , the designed curriculum , the outcomes of the mentor training and the experimentation phase of the Social Start Ups project , and the components of the toolkit ; the mentor guide , the self assessment tool , the pre and post tests , and the mentor training guide .
By following this Handbook , you will be gain an in-depth insight into the Social Start Up project rationale and execution , and you will also able to replicate the Social Stars Ups project beyond the contexts in which it was experimented . Whilst we recommend that you adopt and adapt the Social Start Up project in its entirety , each tool within the Toolkit can be used independently .
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