Knowledge and experience
Association for Social Cooperatives was established in 2003 in Poznan, Poland, as the successor and continuator of the association’s activity called “Our Home”. The organization changed its name from “Our Home” to the Association for Social Cooperatives in 2005 by the decision of General Meeting.
Our main goal is to create new social economy entities and support the existing ones. The primary task of the association is to provide help in setting up social cooperatives, complying with the law formalities as well as creating adequate conditions for running businesses.
For over 17 years of our work, we have experienced the development of the social cooperative movement in Poland and we’ve been engaged in supporting the process of creating positive conditions for its work. During that time, we have gained vast knowledge and experience. Our team consists of specialists in European funds, law, social economy, marketing, and management. In 2006 the association was officially registered as a training institution (number 2.30/00145/2006 in the register of Wojewódzki Urząd Pracy w Poznaniu). We run training courses and organize conferences. Thanks to the European funds that we receive, we can implement innovative solutions in the field of social economy. Every year, several dozen new social economy organizations are established with our support. We offer them help, information, and counselling with all manner of business matters.
Our association creates good conditions for social cooperatives to share experiences and exchange information among one another and other economic subjects. It presents also the experience of existing organizations at conferences, in publications, and through traditional and electronic media both to the interested in establishing social cooperatives and to general public opinion.
Responsibility
Our work is a response to the shortcomings, that we see in the system of social activation and labor market re-entry programs for people in danger of marginalization on labor market due to their gender, social background, age or disability. We search for the solutions to real social problems. Our goal is to prepare and to multiply a model that would be an alternative to the economic model based on competition, marginalization of weaker ones and unfair resource distribution. We stand for the cooperation as an alternative to competition. We support and promote good practices. Together with the representatives of local authorities, business and third sector organizations, we search for creative ideas of activities which connect social and economical goals.
Innovation We generate new ideas in different fields. Our solutions are implemented in many places in Poland. Among the solutions that we have created there are the following: – model of creating social cooperatives in youth detention centers, – model of supporting people in danger of eviction, – model of creating social cooperatives by local authorities, – model of creating social cooperatives by occupational therapy workshops.
Thanks to the fact that our numerous partners – local authorities, business and non-profit organizations have confidence in us, every day people ask as us (literówka) for help and we work with them on creating sustainable, safe jobs in social enterprises. It is for these people that our association was created and it works.