On Wednesday 4 November 2020 Europe Direct Waterford in partnership with Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) and Waterford Social Enterprise Network (WSEN) came together to organise a webinar on Building a Social Enterprise Ecosystem for Waterford.

WIT’s Dr Felicity Kelliher chaired the expert panel which included Grace O’Sullivan, MEP, Liz Riches and Nicola Kent, Waterford Area Partnership / Waterford Social Enterprise Network, Anne Nolan, Waterford Integration Services and Richard Gavin, Department of Rural and Community Development.

The panel discussed the development of social enterprises in Waterford City and County outlining the practical supports available as well as looking at the importance of building a peer support network. The panel also considered how best social enterprises can be developed and supported from the bottom up and identified challenges at local, national and EU level. This event was been chosen as one of the 2020 European Social Economy Regions (ESER) partner events. Launched in February 2018, the ESER initiative is a response of the European Commission to the growing need to increase the visibility of social economy and build networks of stakeholders at regional and local level. The ESER Network is part of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. Waterford has been an active member of the ESER network since 2019 through Europe Direct, Waterford.

You can listen back to recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmlFLXGybOM

And view presentations from:

Liz Riches and Nicola Kent, Waterford Social Enterprise Network here: WATERFORD SOCIAL ECONOMY ECO SYSTEM (1)

& Anne Nolan, Waterford Integration Services here: Building a Social Economy Ecosystem in Waterford, Wednesday 4 November 2020 (3)

Survey for Attendees https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MMRCSB8