RRI Live!

Listen to Radio Romania International Live

Social Entrepreneurship in Romania

The DOR Guide for Social Entrepreneurship

Social Entrepreneurship in Romania
Social Entrepreneurship in Romania

, 20.11.2019, 14:01

The Decat O Revista team, DOR, has launched the 24/7: A Life and Work Guide for Creative Entrepreneurship 2019. This latest edition of the guide is dedicated to social entrepreneurship, starting with 20 stories about associations, foundations, companies, start-ups and a changing business environment.

Jennifer Brandel, an American journalist and entrepreneur, was the special guest at the launch event for the guide. Ms. Brandel, who has herself experienced models of entrepreneurship that no longer answer the needs of society, has decided to propose an alternative to the so-called unicorn model for companies. The success of such a company relied on monopolistic behavior, attempting to maximize profit and competition. The alternative she proposes is the zebra model, one that is aimed at the human factor, and the social impact of a business. The values that Jennifer Brandel proposes are illustrated in the social entrepreneurship guide launched at the event. Community impact, the level of trust from employees, customer satisfaction, but also a supply chain based on ethics and cooperation count the most in such a business. Here is Irina Tacu, coordinator of the DOR Guide:

“We were interested in finding people with businesses and organizations in various cities who have an impact in other areas as well. We were interested first and foremost in understanding how social entrepreneurship is seen by people who know the ecosystem, because they work in organizations that support this approach, such as Ashoka Romania, the NESsT Foundation, or Social Innovation Solutions. We re very interested in finding out what moves these people, what their missions is, and what gets them out of bed in the morning.”

The ideas in the DOR Guide involve several areas of activity, including education. Alternative educational methods, in line with the emotional needs of children, were the basis for the Tzitzi-Poc project, which Irina Tacu told us about:

“One of the stories that we documented with the DOR team was the Tzitzi-Poc project, which is a business started by a person who wanted very much to take into account emotions when it came to educating children between the ages of 3 and 8. To this end she created a theater show that involves children who attend it, and engages them directly. This helps them understand emotions like empathy, friendship, and even anxiety.”

Nutrition cannot be ignored when it comes to social entrepreneurship. Some new farming co-ops want to support small communities of entrepreneurs while supplying Romanian families with fresh vegetables. Irina Tacu told us about a sweets shop that offers jobs to women from disadvantaged backgrounds:

“We went to Apahida, a place in Cluj County, at the Lunca Somesului Mic Farming Cooperative, where we met sales manager Anca Marcu. We got to see how a modern farming co-op works, which helps unite farmers and helps them cooperate in producing better vegetables, allowing them to provide farm to table products. Simona Craciun opened the sweets shop called Marshmallow Cake, which aims to provide support for the team of employees there. After three years of running this business, Simona is trying to find even better solutions to help her employees improve their lives.”

The DOR Guide also includes complex areas such as architecture, another area where people can help improve other peoples lives:

“We discovered the ArhiPera Association, which revealed to us a wonderful story, about a group of architects that practice what we call participative architecture. They help families from disadvantaged areas across the country build homes that they design, and then build together with the family. FABER is another initiative, in the city of Timisoara, a growing business in which 13 people from creative industries have gotten together to restore a historic building in the city, which is meant to become a hub for creative people, with a bistro and an area for events, because they want to bring together creative people from across the city, helping them work together.”

The DOR Guide is a great source for social entrepreneurship stories, ideas for start-ups, thoughts on making an impact, and lots of information. It is available on the dor.ro website.

(foto: Anqa / pixabay.com)
Society Today Wednesday, 23 October 2024

Access to contraceptive methods in post-communist Romania: 35 years on

Romanian society has a troublesome past regarding reproductive health. The country’s troubled past began in 1966. We recall that back then a decree...

Access to contraceptive methods in post-communist Romania: 35 years on
Photo: pixabay.com
Society Today Wednesday, 16 October 2024

New solutions for old problems: bullying

A study carried out by Save the Children at the beginning of the year showed that one in two students in Romania was a victim of threats, humiliation...

New solutions for old problems: bullying
Photo: pixabay.com
Society Today Wednesday, 02 October 2024

Romania must redefine itself economically

In 2022, the employed population of Romania was 7.6 million people. Of these, 5.5 million were employees with individual employment contracts. Most...

Romania must redefine itself economically
The Urban Bee Patrol
Society Today Wednesday, 25 September 2024

The Urban Bee Patrol

The concrete walls and trees groomed every season, are sometimes home to bees with honeycombs. Tens of thousands of bees find shelter in ventilation...

The Urban Bee Patrol
Society Today Wednesday, 18 September 2024

Romania’s new faces

Romania has been facing a workforce deficit for quite some time now, created by a negative birthrate, a dramatic ageing of the population and a...

Romania’s new faces
Society Today Wednesday, 11 September 2024

The Second Gender

Among all European countries, Romania has the lowest female employment rate. 45.4% of Romanian women have a job, compared to men, of whom 62.7% are...

The Second Gender
Society Today Wednesday, 04 September 2024

Support for Child Refugees from Ukraine

After more than two years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the first waves of Ukrainian refugees who found Romania unprepared, but extremely...

Support for Child Refugees from Ukraine
Society Today Wednesday, 14 August 2024

Gift of Life Bucharest Hospital Finally Opens

The “Dăruiește Viață” (Give Life) hospital, in Bucharest, started functioning de facto in mid-April. 50 children have already been...

Gift of Life Bucharest Hospital Finally Opens

Partners

Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român
Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS
Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online
Institului European din România Institului European din România
Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti
Muzeul Național de Artă al României Muzeul Național de Artă al României
Le petit Journal Le petit Journal
Radio Prague International Radio Prague International
Muzeul Național de Istorie a României Muzeul Național de Istorie a României
ARCUB ARCUB
Radio Canada International Radio Canada International
Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti” Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti”
SWI swissinfo.ch SWI swissinfo.ch
UBB Radio ONLINE UBB Radio ONLINE
Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl
creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti
italradio italradio
Institutul Confucius Institutul Confucius
BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți

Affiliates

Euranet Plus Euranet Plus
AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters
Digital Radio Mondiale Digital Radio Mondiale
News and current affairs from Germany and around the world News and current affairs from Germany and around the world
Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona

Providers

RADIOCOM RADIOCOM
Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company