Fundacja FUNDUSZ WSPÓŁPRACY

The main objective of the "On the Wave" Partnership is to establish Centre for Local Social Entrepreneurship Organisation - a model institution which will develop a mechanism for the return to the open labour market from long-term unemployment. The Centre will operate based on a detailed analysis of the local demands and opportunities. Comprehensive training programmes for the unemployed will be offered within its framework. This will be preceded by a detailed analysis of the market and of the abilities and competencies of the unemployed themselves. The responsibility of the Centre will be to provide more employment opportunities, and above all to provide the opportunity of self-employment for those who are discriminated against on the labour market through active support for the creation of small social enterprises in the service sector.

The operations of the Centre for Local Social Entrepreneurship Organisation will cover two segments. One of them is "Behind the Wheel", which combines a motivation centre and an academy of theoretical skills. This segment will mainly involve theoretical training: vocational training (learning or job training), preparation to run one's own business in the hotel services sector (reception service, managing a hostel, housekeeping), food services (managing a kitchen and canteen, as well as catering), operating laundry and ironing facilities, operating a bathhouse and providing care services - for children and adult dependants. Moreover, the project beneficiaries will learn basic computer skills (some of them will participate in specialist training programmes, such as website development, computer-aided accounting, computer marketing, computer graphics), and the basics of two foreign languages. Training will be given about the various legal forms for the provision of services and in customer service.

Moreover, the "Behind the Wheel" segment will involve vocational and business consulting - additional elements to prepare the beneficiaries to run independent businesses. The theoretical skills which they will acquire can be applied in practice during the second segment, which provides the beneficiaries with vocational training in a chosen specialty. The "Aboard" segment envisages vocational training for project beneficiaries by providing services for the inhabitants, tourists and homeless within the framework of the Centre for Local Social Entrepreneurship Organisation. Another important component of this segment is the development of pro-social attitudes through supporting the poor and elderly. Various services will be provided to the local community within this segment: food services in a canteen and in the form of catering with home delivery, laundry and ironing services (with collection and home delivery), housekeeping, care services including care for the children of the project beneficiaries and for their adult dependants (through the beneficiaries' apprenticeship in Caritas branches in the area of Tricity). Keeping in mind the tourists who come to Sopot (and during the project implementation - people qualified by Caritas), a hostel will be run within the Centre offering mid-standard accommodation.

Eighty long-term unemployed beneficiaries will take part in the "On the Wave" project. There will be two groups of 40 people participating in subsequent years.

The main project output is the Centre for Local Social Entrepreneurship Organisation, i.e. an institution which provides comprehensive support to the vocational rehabilitation of people who remain unemployed for a period longer than 24 months. The components of the result include: the Motivation Centre (organises motivation workshops, support groups, meetings with industry experts, demonstrates good practices), the Skills Academy (offers theoretical training and apprenticeship) and the Business Incubator (provides, inter alia, legal and business consulting services, training, subsidies for establishing new businesses).

The Partnership has also developed several supporting products. They include a recruitment method which takes into account the motivation and professional aptitude of the long-term unemployed, a social package for the unemployed (a meal, a monthly ticket, protective clothing for apprenticeship), and social reintegration activities (such as going to a cinema or theatre).

A description of the Centre will also be published as a book, containing the mission of this organisation, its regulations, scope of activities, examples of cooperation and integration of the activities of the partners on the local labour market, and a workshop for organisations interested in the establishment of such Centre in their location.

The project output dissemination strategy involves, inter alia, the organisation of "Open Days" at the premises of the Centre for Local Social Entrepreneurship Organisation. Representatives of local authorities, NGOs, public administration, labour market institutions and media will be invited to meetings held once every three months. Apart from the invited visitors, the participation of individuals interested in the project will also be possible.

The information on the project will also be disseminated during the conventions of directors of the Voivodship Labour Offices and Poviat Labour Offices of the Pomorskie Voivodship, meetings of CARITAS executives, conferences and special seminars of the NGO sector. The Partnership will also issue a booklet demonstrating all delivered outputs in a comprehensive way. Its print run will be approximately 800 copies. IT tools will also be used for the dissemination activities. The information on the delivered outputs will be published both on the project's website and on the website of each Partner.

• Centre for Organisation of Local Social Entrepreneurship (COLPS)