On the way to the first cooperative in Montenegro
Kotor, 2nd June, a meeting was held between the project partners at project CRSE, representatives of Italian partners – COSM and Interland, domestic partners, representatives of NGO Šjore od motta from Kotor and the Local Democracy Agency Nikšić, with a presence of Mr. Paulo Perudjini, a representative of the Italian Community in Montenegro, partner in projects Cooperazione Montenegro.
At the meeting was discussed about the concept of social enterprise, which will be launched under this project in Kotor, with the support of NGO Šjore od motta. Participants tried to indentify ideas on what would be the main production concept of that enterprise. It is concluded that it should be a craft activity, most likely to tailor shop, a printing house for ordinary or pad printing. To achieve that these products find their market, they must be sufficiently useful and attractive in design, but also with competitive prices. The first members of these cooperatives are women victims of domestic violence from Kotor, who are in need, and later we will be able to include other vulnerable categories of the population.
Space for this company is likely to be provided in cooperation with the naval High school in Kotor. The meeting was resumed because of this reason, in the school, with join of school director, Mr. Veljko Botica. As all present assured, space is very suitable and can be used for training and employment of vulnerable group’s people, with the support of the school. The school principal has even offered a partnership of the school for this purpose. As school spends each year significant funds for printing of textbooks and books, scarves and other promotional materials, a cooperative that is going to be formed can focus its activities and to meet those school needs. First of all market analyze must be done in order to check printing competitiveness of such companies in the market. It was pointed out that the successful cooperation between NGOs and institutions is crucial and that there must be involved as many stakeholders as possible. In the near future, this story should print its first pages, where after the market analysis and creating a business plan, can be proceed with activity of establishment of the first group of women that will be members of first cooperative.
Epilogue of successful workday was a visit to the Special Psychiatric Hospital of Dobrota, for a meeting with Dr. Tomcuk, Director of the National Centre for Promotion of Mental Health. The goal of the meeting had a dual character, first discussed was about the project Cooperazione Montenegro, where special Psychiatric hospital was partner in. At following a will to develop synergy between our two projects were expressed, which would allow better integration of the mentally ill through their inclusion in the labor market, by social entrepreneurship.
Project CRSE (Centre for Development of Social Economy) will last for two years and will try to move from the current point social entrepreneurship in Montenegro. With the project CRSE, Local Democracy Agency only continued its activities related to the development of co-operative spirit, successfully implemented trough the project Procoop. The project is being implemented with the support of Autonomous Italian region Friuli Venezia Giulia, with the partnership of associations of cooperatives in Italy, Cosm and Interland, as well as with NGOs Šjore od motta from Kotor.
The first activities of the project should be a promotional nature, where it was to promote the idea of social economy in Montenegro. Promotional campaign would be a basis from which is going to be formed a Centre for the development of social economy, to provide support for the opening of the social enterprises, to collaborate with institutions in the adoption of legal acts in this area and to become the main generator of good practices.
Everything should be preceded by a feasibility study that will determine in which areas of the economy has room for the social economy, than identification of interested social actors and socially deprived groups that would create these companies, ant at the end founding co-operative in accordance with current laws and models of enterprises that would be sustainable.
Therefore, it is planned that the first activity will be support for the forms of social cooperatives that are already exists in some forms, by providing support in the transition to a more serious level. At the following it will be expected to start with the development of enterprises from “Greenfield” level.
All of this should contribute to the development of good practices in social entrepreneurship, which would allow that in one point in Montenegro, conditions for the legal regulation of this area are going to be created.