Representatives of the organizations Consorzio Leonardo, Il Piccolo Principe, and Confcooperative Pordenone, and representatives of the municipality of Valvasone Arzene from the province of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia visited Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period from October 16 to 20, 2022. As part of the Wel.Come project, which promotes the development of social entrepreneurship and the role of social entrepreneurship in local development and improving the position of people in society, especially vulnerable categories, a visit to partners in Bosnia and Herzegovina was held.

During the visit, the representatives from Italy visited the beneficiaries of the project and their social enterprises that were supported within the Wel.Come project. Thanks to this project, ProReha, and their social enterprise Greens acquired a container in which a new line of dehydrated fruit products will be launched and where the production of micro-vegetables will be perfected. Association UDAIS, which was also supported through this project, works on the cultivation, processing and distribution of American blueberries, while Association Narko NE works on the development and improvement of the idea of ZanziBar, a mobile bar for making non-alcoholic cocktails. Representatives from Italy visited Caritas in BiH, where they spoke with the director, Msgr. Tom Knežević about the activities of Caritas in the field of employability and social entrepreneurship. They also visited the Social Economic Society TMP, the Museum of Wartime Childhood, and the office of Mr. Ljubiša Ćosić, mayor of East Sarajevo.

The representatives also met with members of the Youth for Peace organization, and during the conversation with them, they got to know in more detail about the work and activities carried out by the organization, as well as future projects and cooperation. The Wel.Come project is implemented by Caritas BiH, Youth for Peace and the Student Support Office of the University of Sarajevo, in cooperation with partners from Itaija, and with the financial support of the Government of the province of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia from Italy.

The last activity of the first phase of the project WEL.COME, Boot Camp was held in the period from November 15 to November 18, 2021, at the Blanka Hotel on Vlašić. During the Boot Camp, representatives of non-governmental organizations created their business plans using the knowledge gained during the first three trainings. During the first day of the Boot Camp, participants had the opportunity to hear about the basics of a business plan, product and service description, market research as well as competition. During the second day, the participants received the necessary knowledge and information from the trainers about the legal and financial aspects of a business, while the last part of the Boot Camp was left for the practical writing of the business plan.

Naida Stupar, a member of the Student Support Office, who wants to open her own physiotherapy practice in the future and thus contribute to the professional rehabilitation and inclusion of people with disabilities, says: “This Boot Camp was very useful for me, we have learned a lot of new things, and we learned many things that I have not had the opportunity to encounter so far. As for my personal business plan, I am very satisfied with the fact that the coach helped me to develop some things that were not clear to me, and I expect that this will be done successfully in the coming period. "

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The third training on social entrepreneurship within the Wel.Come project was held from 9th to 10th September 2021 in Sarajevo. The aim of the training is to strengthen non-governmental organizations and students in the field of social economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina as an essential element of society.

During the two-day training, participants had the opportunity to learn about SWOT analysis as a method of analyzing the external and internal environment of the company that provides insight into what it is that the company does successfully and what are the challenges and goals. Also, the trainer introduced the participants to the Design Thinking method as an effective approach to creative thinking in the development of new products and services, as well as branding techniques and legal protection of their ideas, products, or services.

"Everything we learned during the three trainings I will certainly use in the coming period, either for the idea I am currently developing or for others that we have in NARKO - NE. After participating in the trainings that gave us an introduction to social entrepreneurship, I am looking forward to the upcoming boot camp where I expect that through practical work we will shape and finalize our ideas. ” said Azra Halilović, Association "NARKO-NE".

The third and final training of the WEL.COME project aimed to provide the necessary knowledge and skills so that participants could readily approach the next phase of the project: developing a business idea and applying for a tender to finance business ideas within the project. The training was led by Mr. Vladimir Marić, a lecturer with many years of experience in developing business ideas.

“Through this program of practically six working days, we went through a comprehensive selection of presentations and topics that will prepare participants to be more successful in entrepreneurship and to be informed about how to run a business and how to succeed in general in their endeavors. During the last training, we wrote a business plan that is crucial if the entrepreneur intends to seek support from the state or some other administrative bodies. Participants also learned about market research techniques and design thinking, which will serve them to create quality services and products that will have great potential in the market, because such products and services will be based on consumer needs. We also talked about the digital transformation and how to prepare for possible crises, and in that way, we prepared the participants for the upcoming boot camp. ” said Vladimir Marić, coach.

Wel.Come project promotes the culture of the social economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as an essential element of society and its role in local development and improving the position of people in society, especially vulnerable categories, and is implemented with the financial support of the Province of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the project is implemented by Caritas Bosnia and Herzegovina, Youth for Peace, and the University of Sarajevo - Student Support Office (UPS!).

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The second training on social entrepreneurship to empower non-governmental organizations and students who have the desire and idea to start a business based on the principles of social entrepreneurship was held in Sarajevo from 28th to 29th July 2021. The training was led by Vladimir Marić, a lecturer with long-lasting experience in the field of business idea development and social entrepreneurship.

On the first day of the training, participants were presented with the strategy of entering the market and discussed the pricing of services or products. Participants also discussed how to plan business growth. During the second day of the training, participants talked about how to reach the first customers, prepare for online sales, and how to successfully sell products, services, and ideas. Participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with additional examples of successful social businesses from the region and the EU and practiced how to make a sales presentation.

"The second training session fulfilled all my expectations. I liked that in addition to the theory, this training offered a lot of practical examples that are in line with the theoretical part. The content of the training offers a lot of interesting information and exercises that I will definitely remember and from which I learned a lot. The trainer presents the information on a professional level, and he interestingly transfers his knowledge and tries to bring his ideas closer to the participants. In the future, I plan to start my own social business and open a psychological office for counseling and psychotherapy, and this training offered me a lot of useful information and now I know where to start" said Adna Melez, a representative of the Mennsana Association.

Project Wel.Come promotes the culture of the social economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as an essential element of society and its role in local development and improving the position of people in society, especially vulnerable categories. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the project is implemented by Caritas Bosnia and Herzegovina, Youth for Peace, and the University of Sarajevo - Student Support Office (UPS!), with the financial support of the Province of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia.

The first training on social entrepreneurship within the Wel.Come project was held in Sarajevo on June 28 and 29, 2021 at the Ibis Styles Hotel in Sarajevo. The goal of the training is to empower NGOs and students who have ideas for starting a business based on the principles of social entrepreneurship. The coach at the training was Mr. Vladimir Marić, who has many years of experience in the development of business ideas, as well as in conducting training and workshops on the topics of entrepreneurship, including social entrepreneurship.

The first day of the training was dedicated to the topics of what is entrepreneurship and what is social entrepreneurship, what mistakes should not be made during the planning and implementation of a business idea, how to identify market needs, and how to survive in the market itself. Examples of social enterprises from both Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region were also presented.
"Everything we had the opportunity to hear during the first day of training was very useful, presented in a simple way, and supported by examples from practice, which will certainly make our future work easier," said Ms. Alma Kudra, project coordinator of the association Duga.

On the second day of the training, the legal regulations related to social entrepreneurship in Bosnia and Herzegovina were discussed, and a canvas of social business was presented. After a theoretical introduction to the canvas of social business, the participants started to make their own canvas, and then presented their ideas and received feedback from trainers and other participants.
Mr. Amar Pašić, a student at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo, and a member of the Office for Student Support at the University of Sarajevo shared the following with us: “I was not at all familiar with most of the information I received at this workshop. It is quite sad that we don't have legal regulations of social entrepreneurship. Before this, I heard about a portfolio project that is usually used, but the idea of canvas analysis in social entrepreneurship is completely new to me and I think I can implement it in other aspects and it is a useful novelty in my life“.

Project Wel.Come is implemented with the financial support of the Province of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, and in Bosnia and Herzegovina the project is implemented by Caritas Bosne i Hercegovine, Youth for Peace, and the University of Sarajevo - Office for Student Support (UPS!).

Kick-off meeting of the WEL.COME project was held from April 8 to 12, 2021 via the online platform Zoom. The meeting gathered representatives of project leaders, partner organizations, and project beneficiaries - NGOs from the Sarajevo Canton, East Sarajevo, and the surrounding area. During the meeting, the director of Caritas BiH, Msgr. Tomo Knežević, Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to BiH Mr. Nicola Minasi, and representatives of donors from the Italy Government of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region delivered opening speeches.

After introductory greetings and a short presentation of the project, the project leader from Italy, as well as project partners from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy, introduced themselves to participants. During the meeting, representatives of non-governmental organizations had the opportunity to get acquainted with the goals and activities of the project, as well as the project phases in which they will be involved. Project beneficiaries will be able to learn and improve their knowledge and skills in the field of social entrepreneurship, which will ultimately contribute to the well-being of the local community.

Project WEL.COME (Community Welfare - Promotion of the Social Economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina) will be implemented in the Sarajevo Canton and its surroundings in the next two years. This project is funded by the Government of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region and implemented by the Consorzio Leonardo from Italy with partners from Bosnia and Herzegovina (Caritas Bosne i Hercegovine, Youth for Peace and Ured za podršku studentima UNSA) and Italy (Il Piccolo Principe, Confcooperative Pordenone and Valvasone Municipality Arzene). The beneficiaries of the project are 10 non-governmental organizations from the Sarajevo Canton, the city of East Sarajevo, and the surrounding area. The project is based on the program of capacity building of project beneficiaries and support to non-governmental organizations in the implementation of their ideas based on the principles of social entrepreneurship.