On behalf of the Entrepreneurs for Social Change (E4SC) team, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Fondazione CRT invite young social entrepreneurs to apply for the new cycle of the program.

Young social entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35 from the 26 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean are invited to apply for the new cycle of E4SC 2018/19. Young women and men who either have an established social enterprise or are planning to establish one soon, are eligible to apply. The call for applications will run until the 31st of July 2018, after which applicants will go through a three-staged competitive process. Based on your experience and interest in this field, you are kindly asked to spread the invitation for applications in your network, especially in the 26 eligible countries. You could for example spread the call through your social media channels. Please keep the E4SC team in copy to your communication, to provide us with an overview of outreach ([email protected]).

Briefly, the E4SC program includes:

• Bootcamp (23 November - 2 December 2018): 10-day in-person experience, providing the entrepreneurs with the tools to grow and scale up their enterprise, connect with peers, and learn from experts from all over the world.
• 360^o Empowerment: Based on a 360^o assessment, a detailed plan for the social and economic impact is developed, with support tailored to the entrepreneurs’ needs.
• Executive Mentoringfor 1-year with some of the world’s top executives dealing with social entrepreneurship and impact investing. The entrepreneurs will be given a virtual cryptocurrency to spend on individual mentoring hours depending on their needs.
• E4SCpedia: The entrepreneurs become part of a life-long learning community of peers. They will have access to pro-bono legal firms in their country of residence, introduction to relevant impact investors, invitation to the alumni board of trustees, and constant human support.

The program aims to alleviate the challenges the Euro-Mediterranean region continues to face by empowering young social entrepreneurs. Challenges addressed include environmental degradation, food security, waste management, as well as the root causes of migration and connected social tensions and challenges. The one-year program enhances their skills to boost a business idea with a social mission, and thereby supports them in and will thereby become a driving powerful driver of economic development and social inclusion, and in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Since its inception, the program has received more than 2000 applications, out of which the best 25 are selected to join the E4SC cohort each year. Previous four editions have trained 85 social entrepreneurs, and 96% of respondents to the survey say that their skills improved thanks to the program.

For more information and application, please visit  www.e4sc.org or our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/entrepreneursforsocialchange/).