{"id":9350,"date":"2025-03-21T07:18:39","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T09:18:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testing.wingpan.com\/en\/?p=9350"},"modified":"2025-03-21T07:18:39","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T09:18:39","slug":"social-entrepreneurship-laboratory-at-kauno-kolegija-how-do-ideas-turn-into-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing.wingpan.com\/en\/social-entrepreneurship-laboratory-at-kauno-kolegija-how-do-ideas-turn-into-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"Social entrepreneurship laboratory at Kauno kolegija: how do ideas turn into changes?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (HEI) hosted a blended intensive programme (BIP) on<\/span> <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Social Entrepreneurship on 3\u20137 March. Students from the Faculty of Business\u2019s Logistics, International Business, Organisational Management, International Business and Law study programmes, together with guests from Thomas More (Belgium), University of \u0141om\u017ca and Wy\u017csza Szko\u0142a Zarz\u0105dzania w Cz\u0119stochowie (Poland), came together to jointly seek answers to the question of how business can not only generate profit but also create a positive impact on society?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A new generation \u2013 a new approach to entrepreneurship<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">According to the European Commission, 67% of young Europeans believe that business should be about more than making a profit, it should address social issues and promote sustainability. A new generation of entrepreneurs is choosing social entrepreneurship more than ever before, with more than 2.8 million companies in this field operating worldwide today, creating more than 13 million jobs. The emerging sector shows that young people are looking for ways in which businesses can not only make money but also have a real impact on society. The blended intensive programme was precisely <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">such<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> a space, where students used academic knowledge, practical experience and creativity to develop responsible ideas. Participants worked in four main thematic areas:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Mental health and addictions<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> \u2013 how to reduce psychological well-being challenges and increase emotional resilience?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Environment <\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u2013 \u200b\u200bwhat business models can solve ecological problems?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Human rights<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> \u2013 how can innovation promote inclusion and reduce social exclusion?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Equal opportunities<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> \u2013 <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">in what ways<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> can equal educational and labour market opportunities be ensured for all?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Ideas generation: from the audience to the real world<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">From the very first moments, the programme brought students into a dynamic environment. There was no room for passive learning, participants were invited to act. Team tasks and intercultural familiarisation games not only broke the ice but also helped to form a sense of community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Students analysed social businesses in their countries, identifying their strengths and weaknesses. Later, they visited different social spaces, where they could see <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">up close<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> how theoretical knowledge is applied in practice. The visits became a valuable experience that provided new insights into real businesses and their operating models, and the Startup Social Kaunas event allowed them to establish contacts with the local startup ecosystem and hear inspiring success stories.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The final part of the programme was dedicated to intensive practical work, in which students developed, improved and <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">finally<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> presented their social business ideas. Participants worked in teams, using innovative problem-solving methods, conducted market research, analysed competitors and created solutions that could be implemented in practice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The context of social entrepreneurship in Europe<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Social entrepreneurship is not just a theoretical concept, it is changing people\u2019s lives across Europe. Many innovative social enterprises are already solving real problems by combining business models with a clear social mission.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">For example, <\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Too Good To Go<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> is a Danish-based platform that allows restaurants and shops to sell surplus food at a lower price, thereby reducing food waste. In a few years, the idea has spread across Europe, saving millions of portions of food that would otherwise have been thrown away.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Another example is <\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Dialogue in the Dark<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, a German social enterprise that creates educational experiences that help people better understand what it means to live with a visual impairment. Their tours in total darkness promote empathy and social inclusion, while also providing job opportunities for people with visual impairments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Lithuanian social enterprises are also active in <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the field of<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> sustainability, one of which is <\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">One Pocket Hero<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, which creates functional clothing adapted to people who wear insulin pumps, thus aiming to improve their daily lives and ensure greater comfort. Meanwhile, <\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Hero Talents<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> helps young people with disabilities to establish themselves in the labour market by offering specially tailored training and employment programmes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Young generations of entrepreneurs are increasingly choosing to combine financial stability with sustainability, and programmes such as Erasmus+ BIP provide them with the opportunity to acquire practical skills in an international context.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Kauno kolegija HEI, together with international partners, continues to promote the development of social entrepreneurship, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">giving students the opportunity<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> not only to acquire knowledge but also to become active creators of change. This project has shown that business can be not only profitable, but also meaningful, and young social entrepreneurs are already creating a tomorrow where innovations serve people today.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row gallery\">\n            <div class=\"gallery-grid gallery-col-6\">\n                <div class=\"gallery-image-wrap\">\n                \n                    <a data-gallery=\"gallery\" href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testing.wingpan.com\/kk_wp_content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/03\/IMG_0888-scaled-1.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1\" rel=\"lightbox\" data-lightbox-gallery=\"9350\">\n                        <div class=\"img-placeholder\" style=\" background-image: url(https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testing.wingpan.com\/kk_wp_content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/03\/IMG_0888-scaled-1.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1);\"><\/div>      \n                    <\/a>\n                    \n                    <div class=\"caption\"><\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <div 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class=\"img-placeholder\" style=\" background-image: url(https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testing.wingpan.com\/kk_wp_content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/03\/IMG_0904-scaled-1.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1);\"><\/div>      \n                    <\/a>\n                    \n                    <div class=\"caption\"><\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (HEI) hosted a blended intensive programme (BIP) on Social Entrepreneurship on 3\u20137 March. Students from the Faculty of Business\u2019s Logistics, International Business, Organisational Management, International Business and Law study programmes, together with guests from Thomas More (Belgium), University of \u0141om\u017ca and Wy\u017csza Szko\u0142a Zarz\u0105dzania w Cz\u0119stochowie (Poland), came together to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":9363,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.wingpan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.wingpan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.wingpan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.wingpan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.wingpan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9350"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/testing.wingpan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9365,"href":"https:\/\/testing.wingpan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9350\/revisions\/9365"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.wingpan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.wingpan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.wingpan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.wingpan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}