_____________________________ PILOT ACTIONS AND INVESTMENTS ________________________________
The main objective of the SEE ME IN project was to address the key socio-economic challenges within Central European cities with specific reference to inclusion and skills shortages affecting the multicultural enterprises (MEs). To meet this key objective, the project worked on strengthening capacities, skills and competences of relevant public authorities and MEs in three relevant market sectors: design/craft, fashion, food.
In the scope of the project five pilot actions were implemented in respective partner countries (Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Slovenia) to reach the following objectives:
- - Enhance the entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial potential of people with a multicultural background;
- - Promote mutual learning and exchange between native and multicultural entrepreneurs;
- - Encouraging Social Cohesion in Cities.
The main achievement of the SEE ME IN project was the establishment of the Intercultural Entrepreneurs’ Hub, therefore, the testing, presentation and promotion of the platform to the MEs were the main goals of the pilot actions. It took a lot of time and effort to build trust, legitimate the actions of the project and convince MEs that an intangible asset such as an online HUB can be an asset for their business, especially during COVID time. Furthermore, different events (trainings, workshops, seminars, meetings, conferences) where the MEs had an opportunity to improve their business skills and enlarged their networks were organized within the pilot actions. Additionally, other outputs such as the multicultural cookbook Culinary Treats, fashion video and the 2021 Milan Design Week collective exhibition named Multicultural Intelligence also promoted the MEs’ talents, inspired other MEs and contributed to their better social integration.
During the implementation of the project actions we came to a conclusion that MEs prefer one on one coaching/mentoring and networking opportunities to online tools, thus, we would recommend to include such activities in similar future projects and actions. Furthermore, we recognized that including MEs in the long-term policy planning debate and considering their needs in the development of city policy masterplan are of key importance for successful coping with the socio-economic challenges related to integration of MEs in local environment.
