Promoting Social Economy enterprise creation as a key tool for empowerment and active citizenship: the added value of online (learning) games.

Social economy has gained new momentum nowadays as an alternative way of ‘doing business’, as an opportunity to reap the benefits of developing entrepreneurial activities collectively, of pooling capacities and knowledge, sharing risks etc. Many perceive it (above all) as a ‘new’ tool for employment creation. However, there is much more to it.

Many social economy entrepreneurs see it as an opportunity to take their life (back) into their own hands, to shape their own future together with others, to experience democracy also in economy, to contribute to the strengthening of communities and solidarity, to gain self-confidence and feel co-owner of a project. Obviously, one does not become a social economy entrepreneur from one day to the other.

Some programmes and initiatives providing assistance already exist. However, a majority of training schemes for enterprise creation are often not adapted to the specific characteristics of the social economy and/or do not have appropriate tools to reach out to a diversity of persons.

Which potential could collective online (role play) games or gamified learning have in this context?

Starting from a snapshot of the Belgian context regarding social economy and enterprise creation in the field of social economy, this seminar will present the Social Seducement initiative and one of its main outputs – SocialPlaNet. SocialPlaNet is an online game, which has been designed as a gamified learning platform providing unemployed with an idea of social economy entrepreneurship and an opportunity to simulate the shaping of a social economy ‘business idea’ in a group.

Check out the DRAFT PROGRAMME and REGISTER by 12 May 2017!