Equal - Digital Repository

Welzijnsconsortium Zuid-West-Vlaanderen

All four partners in this Transnational Cooperation Agreement (TCA) – which includes the development partnerships (DPs) of Agora (UK), YOUR SPIS (Slovakia), Europa House (Czech Republic) and Werk.Waardig (Belgium) – share a common conceptual area-based approach to the improvement of the quality of life of stakeholders and communities either directly through existing social economy-based mechanisms and structures or through social entrepreneurship elements of good practice present in the public and private sectors.

The aim of this TCA is to make a valuable contribution to disadvantaged groups in communities through social enterprise (or the third sector).The objectives include:

• Developing community planning as a tool that can improve the quality of life of disadvantaged people/groups/areas.
• Empowering/educating/upskilling people to improve the quality of service they provide to their stakeholders and communities.
• Professionalising social enterprises to improve the quality of the sector.

The partnership has been working on the following outputs:

• Development of a methodology for creating an evaluation system for community planning and process description, including web-based community planning methods.
• Creation of study visits, exchanges and/or conferences for project beneficiaries.
• Marketing and promotion of social enterprises and socially responsible businesses through an online web-based marketing mechanism, including the creation of key performance indicators and/or socio-economic evaluation tools for organisations that function using elements of good practice from the social economy.
• Creation/management of an innovative web-based transnational partnership management system, which should include a database of project partners for communication purposes

 

Manchester Metropolitan University

Three DPs from 2 different Equal Themes form the ACME transnational partnership: Agora from the UK (Theme D - social economy), and Comurbano and Mercurio both from Spain working under Theme F - adaptability.  Their common strategic purpose is reflected in the projects’ aim to improve the quality of life of all socio-economic stakeholders present in town centres. Objectives are to:

• Exchange skills and experiences, and develop of common methodologies and perspectives for both project and key beneficiaries – ie SME retail employees, managers, owners, local authority retail specialists, community leaders, town centre managers (or equivalent) and all those interested in improving the quality of life of their localities through inclusive, democratic and transparent methods. It is recognised that SME retailers have a pivotal role to play as catalysers of change in town centres and surrounding districts.
• Joint research of transnational skills needs and knowledge gaps affecting the SME retail sector and town centre/area management using a joint common transnational research methodology used in all locations. The results of this work will set the foundations for a European Research Observatory for Town Centre Management.
• Joint transnational development and management of training products/services. In all products and services, a practical approach to training has been adopted. This is helping to set the foundations for a sustainable trans-European body, which will contribute to the professionalisation of town centre managers (and individuals carrying out a similar role, such as community leaders).

The partnership has been working on the following outputs:

• presentations of local experiences at conferences
• delivery of a transnational research programme culminating in a joint report for all geographical intervention areas involved in the partnership.
• joint report on existing training products/services for Town Centre Management at transnational level.
• joint report on different models/definitions of Town Centre Management across the European Union.
• development of a technical Spanish-English glossary of SME retail and Town Centre Management terms.