"Imagine a world where every business solves not just economic problems but also social problems....
Social entrepreneurship can become an effective tool for responding to society's urgent challenges," says Solomiia Boyanovych, head of the Platform for Social Change charitable organization in Ukraine.
That's exactly what the group is trying to do with its Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator, an educational program that teaches participants everything from how to build a business model to how to start a social enterprise.
"It often even happens that our graduates become for new students of the programs," says Boyanovych.
The group has been working in Ukraine since 2015, and last year it held three such programs, attended by more than 100 participants.
In addition to education and mentoring programs, the Platform also works with civil society organizations and social entrepreneurs.
"We strive for every participant of our programs to feel constant support and mentoring, regardless of the stage of implementation of their project," says Boyanovych.
In fact, the group has partnered with more than 15 European organizations to help develop social entrepreneurship in Ukraine.
"Social enterprises can be a community backbone, helping them adapt to rapidly changing living conditions, rebuilding infrastructure, and supporting the most vulnerable," says Boyanovych.
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Hope Blooms is a social enterprise comprising of young entrepreneurs from north-end Halifax, Canada. It started as a community garden where students planted seeds and tended crops in an abandoned property in their neighborhood.