Developing Open Business Projects for Social Enterprises
Summary
Report from OBCD Project Bootcamp which was held in Rome, Italy during the summer.
OBCD Bootcamp in Rome, Italy, June 30 – July 4, 2024
The international OBCD (Open Business for Community Development) project piloted MOOC online training modules over the spring and summer to address the skill needs of social enterprises. As part of the training pilot, some of the participants also attended a four-day OBCD Bootcamp in Rome, Italy.
The Bootcamp brought together students from different sectors of society in Europe, from university students to CEOs, all united by an interest in developing the business of social entrepreneurship and international networking. Twenty representatives of social enterprises and four trainers from Italy, Greece, Finland, and Spain gathered in Rome. Participants aimed to integrate the open business principles into the operations of social economy.
The Bootcamp was focused on the development of social enterprises open business projects using the OBCD business model canvas, and the digital platform we have developed in the project. The training took place at University of Rome Tor Vergata.
The program also included study visits: we visited a social farm and Binario95, as social hub for the reception and support of homeless people in Rome. The leaders were really warm-hearted when talking about their social business. They believe that all people are stars, and what we should measure is the amount of light there is in each person. Their aim is to make all the people light up again. What a beautiful mission.
Helsinki Business College Ltd. was responsible for building the Finnish team, which consisted of six people of different educational backgrounds, genders, and ages. It turned out to be a great team. Here are some thoughts from the team:
“The Bootcamp organizers were enthusiastic and warmly welcomed the participants. I would have liked more time for networking and getting to know each other, as this was an important theme. The field visits were interesting“, says Elsa Pardonen from Silta-Valmennus ry.
“The Bootcamp was a great experience as I have not travelled much. It was great to meet foreign experts and make new contacts. There were challenges in group work because not everyone had the same language skills, which made communication difficult. Also, the instructions could have been clearer”, summarizes Satu Luukkonen from Lapinlahden lähde Ltd.
“It was a great honour to be the only student from Business College Helsinki in the project. At first, I was nervous, but our team was very supportive. The Bootcamp was well organized, and I learned a lot about different cultures. The language barrier brought challenges, and I lost my phone in the metro, which made working difficult. Nevertheless, the experience was very rewarding“, says Son Mai, an international student from Business College Helsinki.
“The trip was successful, although there were some minor cultural challenges. The programme was interesting, and the arrangements worked well. Networking both domestically and internationally was very useful”, says Tanja Kulmala from Tampereen Sarka.
“The Italian Bootcamp was an eye-opening experience. Meetings are always instructive, and the visits to social enterprises were definitely the best part, as they concretized the theory and highlighted the different contexts in various countries. The insight was that while social enterprises may be similar in theory, the regulation and culture of the environment significantly shape their business and earnings logic”, says Susanna Kallama from Arvoliitto ry.
“I initially expected a bit more systematic learning and project works, but at the end, the teams achieved great results. I am proud of our Finnish team who worked superbly together, calmly faced all challenges, and actively contributed tolearning and teamwork. And most of all: we did have a lot of fun learning and networking”, summarizes Helena Miettinen from Helsinki Business College Ltd., who served as a teacher at the Bootcamp.
Rome was a great place to study, although the bus and metro rides were quite long. We also enjoyed multicultural co-creation, which is not very easy but rewarding when successful. The training featured great insights among the team from Finland and genuine enthusiasm from local and international lecturers. The Bootcamp included a huge dose of collaboration and brainstorming on refining business models for social enterprises. In summary: A lot of cultural understanding, joyful laughter, contacts and new ideas, and learning together with people from all over Europe.
OBCD is funded by Erasmus+.
