Second International Conference on Social Innovation

 

Innovators and social entrepreneurs need the right collaborators to shape and develop their initiatives in the right direction.

 

Therefore, on the 30th of November, 2017, LENS gathers all innovators, social entrepreneurs, experts and associates of the field in the international conference on social innovation, taking place at the Orion conference Center in Pristina.

 

This event, which is being held for the second time in Kosovo, aims to provide an opportunity to exchange experiences among those who have created innovation, social enterprises, collaborative spaces, or those who have created various services that have influenced the increase of employment among young people.

 

The conference titled “Adapting Social Innovation” is held within the framework of the regional project YOUSEE – a regional platform advocating for social innovation in employment policies that guarantee security for young people at risk of labor market exclusion. The conference is supported by the European Commission and the project of Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation – Enhancing Youth Employment (EYE), along with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Pristina Office.

 

We have chosen the following experts from the field of innovation and social entrepreneurship who will share their inspirational experiences:

 

Stuart Thomanson is a program Leader working on Social Venture Support. He currently leads the design and implementation of the Accelerator program and the European incubator initiative ‘EU Transition’. He started his first social business when he was only 22, and currently he is director of two other businesses, “Studio Polpo” and “Inside Innovation”.

 

Stuart was part of the UnLtd (Social Enterprise Foundation) where he spent 4 years training hundreds of individuals who had established an innovative program, social entrepreneurship or philanthropy. During this time, he also helped the organization to raise nearly 6 million pounds to develop the UnLtd program.

 

Indira Kartallozi is the founder of the social enterprise “Migrant Entrepreneurs International” and director of “Kaleindoscope Futures” in the United Kingdom. Through the programs of these enterprises, she is focused on creating a brighter, safer, smarter, more common, sustainable, and enjoyable future.

 

With nearly 15 years of experience mainly with marginalized groups, her expertise includes areas from violent migration and gender equality, to social entrepreneurship, leadership transformation, as well as environment and sustainability.

 

This conference will present the research on social enterprises in Kosovo, “The rise of the Future Leaders – Social Enterprises in Kosovo”, done by LENS and EYE, in cooperation with the expert Indira Kartallozi. This research aims to provide a more appropriate and applicable model for social enterprises in Kosovo, based on the world social enterprise practices and the national trend of social enterprises.

 

LENS welcomes all interested parties in the conference, to come and learn more about social innovation and find the right associates who would help them develop their innovative ideas in the future.