International Social Entrepreneurship Workshop Started

Izmir Metropolitan Municipality brought together social entrepreneurs from different countries of the world at the International Social Entrepreneurship Workshop. Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Mustafa Ozuslu, Deputy Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, said that they want to dominate an economic climate that creates high added value in Izmir and added: “Our aim is to increase the welfare of the city and share it fairly.”

The International Social Entrepreneurship Workshop was organized in line with the vision of Izmir Metropolitan Mayor Tunc Soyer to develop the city’s entrepreneurship culture. Organized by the Metropolitan Municipality Department of Social Projects in cooperation with the Social Business Global Association at the Historical Havagazi Factory Youth Campus, the workshop brought together social entrepreneurs from different countries of the world.
Mustafa Ozuslu, Deputy Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, Ertugrul Tugay, Deputy Secretary General of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, Anil Kacar, Head of Social Projects Department of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, Ismail Hilmi Adiguzel, President of Social Business Global Association and many entrepreneurs attended the opening of the two-day workshop.

“We want to increase Izmir’s prosperity and share it fairly”
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Mustafa Ozuslu, Deputy Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, said: “Since we took office, we have been attaching great importance to activities that encourage entrepreneurship, innovation and innovation to make Izmir resilient in line with the vision of our Mayor Tunc Soyer. Our goal is clear: to increase Izmir’s prosperity and share it fairly. We want to create an ‘economic climate’ in our city that creates high added value by blending innovative sectors and creativity.”
Mustafa Ozuslu, who evaluated the workshop as a useful work in terms of raising awareness and competence on entrepreneurship, said: “The workshop’s goal of bringing together the practices of social entrepreneurship in different countries and cultures and creating a reference for social entrepreneurs is extremely important in terms of creating know-how. We are striving to make Izmir a world city. While trying to achieve this goal, we are trying to fulfill all the requirements simultaneously. We follow the whole world closely with an open mind.”

“It serves as a bridge between the public and social entrepreneurs”
Anil Kacar, Head of the Social Projects Department of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, said: “Now, in addition to the understanding of municipalism that collects garbage, provides water, paves asphalt, cleansing and law enforcement for citizens, a municipalism understanding that is skilled in solving social problems, that can meet all the needs of the city and the city dwellers, and that includes the instruments in this direction in its capabilities is expected.” Stating that entrepreneurs have social goals such as providing services to the society, providing welfare and fighting against poverty in addition to their economic goals, Kacar said: “At this point, social entrepreneurship, which melts public profit and social benefit in the same pot, stands out. As the Social Projects Department, the FikrimIZ unit, where we are currently conducting workshops, exists to strengthen this purpose. We aim to ensure mutual benefit with the center, which acts as a bridge between the public and social entrepreneurs.”

Participants from 18 different countries
Ismail Hilmi Adiguzel, President of Social Business Global Association, stated that they were excited to organize such a workshop in Izmir and said, “It is also a great pleasure to do something like this in my hometown. We want to explain social entrepreneurship to the remotest corners. Social entrepreneurship is a model that makes economic and social development possible, where we can both work in the field of unemployment and solve social problems. We have friends from 18 different countries here. In 18 different countries, how is social entrepreneurship practiced, in which sectors, in which areas, with which models? We will examine these and archive them. Then we will share this information with our friends who want to become social entrepreneurs or who are currently social entrepreneurs.”

Source: https://www.izmir.bel.tr/tr/Haberler/uluslararasi-sosyal-girisimcilik-calistayi-basladi/46023/156