Hello Entrepreneurship: enabling change through social innovation
The primary mission of Ashoka, the world's largest network of changemakers, with a vibrant community of over 4,000 fellows, has always been to assist people in adapting to our ever-changing world. A key method they employ is promoting social entrepreneurship.
The "Hello Entrepreneurship" program is run by Ashoka Poland in cooperation with SWPS University and Citi Handlowy Leopold Kronenberg Foundation. This initiative aims to help migrants and refugees rebuild their lives in Poland. The program encourages the development of social and business initiatives that address key social issues facing the country. In each edition, a jury selects ten projects to receive financial and professional support. Among the jury members is Patrycja Radek, an innovation broker from the Center for Knowledge Transfer at SWPS University.
Meet the inspiring winners of Hello Entrepreneurship 2023
This year, a record number of 140 projects was submitted to the program. The jury carefully chose the top ten initiatives:
- Kupalinka – drama classes for children with migration experience
- Founded by Olga Hardziejczyk-Maziarska
- Dumna – an art studio organizing handicraft courses for Ukrainian refugee women
- Mały Kopernik – an education center for children and adults
- Co-founded by Assef Salloom and Hamida Alsayed
- Przy stole – an initiative that promotes solidarity and cooperation across borders through culinary knowledge-sharing
- Run by Ewa Waszkiewicz, Janusz Waszkiewicz and Inna Kasprowicz
- Ukrainka w Polsce – a project supporting refugee women in professional development and career building
- Medimove – an international medical career marketplace for migrant doctors and physicians
- Label MY – a music label based in MY cafe in Poznań, supporting musicians from Belarus
- Founded by Mikita Bubashkin, Anastasiya Valasevich and Volha Stryzhniova
- Ciepło – a restaurant inspired by Ukrainian culture and cuisine
- Co-founded by Olena Mykhailovska, Mateusz Zguda and Maryna Kyushnyk from the Zero Camps Foundation
- Namaste – a yoga and oriental dance studio
- Established by Viktoriia Savytska and Yuliia Kononenko
- Przytulnie – a project aimed at supporting the social activity of people with migration experience
- Led by Ivanna Serediuk, Mariia Serediuk, Nadiya Burmaka and Irina Orzechowska
Each of the ten selected teams received a grant of USD 3,200 to implement their projects. Moreover, they were provided with four months of mentorship, which included leadership training, access to investors and industry experts and the opportunity to grow within Ashoka's European network of organizations.
Program participants were also introduced to Ashoka’s extensive network of contacts, an invaluable resource for migrants and refugees seeking to establish themselves and make a new start in their adopted country.
Final gala and panel discussion
The winning teams gathered in Warsaw on June 14 to present their projects at the final gala of the fourth edition of the "Hello Entrepreneurship" program.
The event also featured a panel discussion with Patrycja Radek from SWPS University and Ivanna Serediuk, co-creator of the Przytulnie project, focusing on social entrepreneurship among people with migrant or refugee experiences. The discussion was informed by the results of a study conducted as part of the "Hello Entrepreneurship" program. The main conclusion of the study underlined the importance of providing "tailored" support – a flexible approach that empowers individuals to pursue their dreams and create positive impacts for their communities.
Hello Europe: empowering people on the move
The "Hello Entrepreneurship" program is part of a larger initiative called "Hello Europe," which provides support to people with migrant or refugee backgrounds from across the European Union.
Launched in 2016, "Hello Europe" identifies and accelerates the most innovative solutions to challenges surrounding migration, matches them with partners and integrates them into policy, in order to transform migration from a divisive issue to a system of solutions and changemakers.
Learn more about the initiative on its official website