EMEN, the European Migrant Entrepreneurship Network, held its launch seminar on 7-8 December 2017.
A public launch on the 7th attracted about 50 people – from EU institutions and networks, NGOs, chambers of commerce, municipalities and other EU-funded projects for migrant entrepreneurs. We heard about the policy background from Simone Baldissarri of DG Growth, European Commission, and Artur Benedyktowicz of the EASME agency which manages the COSME programme.
The leaders of EMEN’s three communities of practice then explained what they plan to do. Farid Bidardel and Moritz Blanke of Social Impact in Berlin spoke on mentoring, Klaas Molenaar of the Haagse Hogeschool on new types of finance, and Giovanni Collot of UNITEE on professionalising associations of migrant entrepreneurs.
On the next day the project’s launch seminar took place in the offices of Eurochambres. The 12 partner organisations got to know each other, and we all became more familiar with the administrative procedures we shall have to follow.
A community of practice is a group of people who share a common concern or a passion for something they do, and learn to do it better as they interact regularly” – Etienne Wenger
The main learning activity of the day was a session led by Peter Ramsden on How to run a community of practice. Peter discussed the many activities that CoP members can engage in as they assemble information, share ideas, and perhaps develop joint projects and products.
We debated what ideal size each CoP should be, how to combine distance and physical meetings, where the CoPs should have a core group and a periphery, how to animate the CoP’s members and what web technologies to use. In short – there is a lot to do!
Toby Johnson
Project leader
