In Croatia, different groups in society, such as older people, people with disabilities with low/decreasing autonomy, and those in need of long-term care, might experience poor economic and social situations and need support to achieve decent living conditions.

At the same time, there is a lack of inter-generational solidarity, with young people seeming quite disconnected from their communities.

The project also sought to address low awareness among Croatian population of the opportunities created by social entrepreneurship to solve structural economic and social problems. Social entrepreneurship lacks funding, recognition (including a clear legal status) and promotion, with few organisations selling such services on a professional level.

‘Social entrepreneurship connects us’ aims to help people in social and economic need using social entrepreneurship. The project organiser, Auxilium, works to promote and develop social entrepreneurship in Osijek and beyond. It seeks to encourage local young people to get involved in their community and develop socially-responsible behaviour, while supporting their acquisition of skills in demand in the labour market.

Auxilium piloted the project in the city of Osijek, among young students from the vocational Geodetic and Civil Engineering School. As part of their curriculum, students partner with Auxilium to undertake practical courses to help people in need with various tasks, such as household repairs or cleaning. The pilot provides an opportunity for students to gain experience in the labour market, to explore, learn, discover and test social entrepreneurship.

Students benefit from the diverse knowledge and experience of a professional interdisciplinary team, gathered in one single location. Auxilium developed the ‘practical home economics programme’, combining theoretical classes on social entrepreneurship and practical classes on home economics. Once a week, student test their skills in practice with Auxilium’s customers.

The involvement of young people in the pilot creates a connection among various generational groups and invites everyone to work together to address social and community gaps.

‘Social entrepreneurship connects us’ began in November 2021, with the pilot beginning in February 2022 after three months’ preparation. The evaluation has not started yet, but will be carried out in cooperation with all project partners.

In the meanwhile, Auxilium has a feedback procedure in place for all of its activities. Pictures are taken before and after each intervention to see the concrete added value of the service. Customers are required to give feedback on their satisfaction with the service. Auxilium also contacts clients to ask them about their level of satisfaction, with that information stored for internal audit purposes only. In future, Auxilium plans to ask clients for their consent to the recording of their statements in order to be able to use them more widely. Auxilium compiles daily, weekly and monthly reports on the services performed, and meets regularly to discuss the state of play, areas of improvement and solutions to challenges identified.

Moreover, Croatian schools have a legal obligation to monitor the learning and development of their students’ skills in order to check their progression. That monitoring will be shared with Auxilium to monitor the pilot results and compare them with the initial objectives.

The pilot is also promoted on social media by a media partner, which will conduct a report on social media engagement.

The success of the ‘Social entrepreneurship connects us’ pilot relies on a very organised structure and attention to detail, which, according to the feedback received, is appreciated by customers. There is a global and consistent approach to help people in need and engage students through the framework of social entrepreneurship. Auxilium follows a careful recruitment process to hire ‘handymen’, using practice tests to ensure the quality of their work. The project team also prepares students and tests their readiness and social behaviour before they start working with clients.

Auxilium works in phases. Once the social entrepreneurship model is complete in the pilot city, the project team would like to expand to other cities in Croatia, as well as in other European countries. Several cities have contacted Auxilium for more information or to meet the project team in order to develop the concept locally. Auxilium is taking the opportunity to expand its networks and build social innovation capacity. At a national level, Auxilium may cease the project should the Croatian Government develop more social innovation policies.

Auxilium aims to make social entrepreneurship more visible and to advocate at county and ministerial level to increase social innovation funding. The pilot reflects the larger desire to promote social entrepreneurship as a successful approach to address various societal issues. Other activities include the organisation of conferences on social entrepreneurship.

In 2015, Croatia adopted a national strategy to develop social entrepreneurship. One call for proposals was set up to finance social entrepreneurship projects - to which Auxilium responded – but no other funding for social entrepreneurship has since been made available, meaning that the project relies on ESF funding.

The ESF funding facilitated the development of a more ambitious project than previously, including hiring skilled workers, buying equipment, and gaining credibility. Partnership with city and local governments has been as asset. Engaging with policymakers helped to develop activities, with the local government inviting Auxilium to take part in other local projects. This will help to grow the organisation and its social innovation model.