The Mediterranean Migration Network (MMN) organized a workshop on “Social Entrepreneurship and migration – Analysis and discussion on actions for development” on Thursday 29 May at Hilton Park, Nicosia. The workshop focused on social entrepreneurship as a good practice for migrants’ integration in the local societies and the market. Participants to the workshop were professionals and practitioners from different organizations, both public and private, working in the area of migration.

A presentation on the basic values of social entrepreneurship was delivered and discussed by participants. The general idea of social entrepreneurship is the formation of a company that follows a number of standards by providing the opportunity for less advantaged groups – in this case migrants groups. Basic objective of this type of companies is, to be able to socially contribute and at the same time have revenues to ensure sustainability. Good examples showed that this type of entrepreneurship can be both sustainable and innovative, providing at the same time the opportunity for social benefit to the society.

During the workshop, good practices were presented as guides for future implementation in the Cyprus context. Participants then worked in groups to identify the main challenges of migration today and present different types of social enterprises that could address some of the challenges migrants face. Interesting ideas were presented focusing on vulnerable migrants groups that need financial and social assistance.