Impact Driven Initiatives
Social Entrepreneurship, Empowerment and Cohesion Project Notes || May, 2024
There are many similarities between making a start for social and environmental impact and beginning our own journey of transformation. Both processes require profound personal and professional change, involve many challenges, questioning, and awareness and can ultimately lead to positive outcomes, both individually and socially.
All beginnings happen because of a situation that needs to be changed or corrected. The success of each new beginning is measured by the impact it generates.
A Beginner's Guide to High-Impact Change
The journey of inner transformation begins with getting to know oneself and questioning the meaning of one's life. In this process, one discovers one's values, strengths and weaknesses, and determines what one wants to achieve. Similarly, starting a social enterprise requires a deep awareness of oneself and society, a goal-setting process, problem-solving skills and the will to transform. The entrepreneur identifies where he or she wants to benefit society, what problems he or she wants to solve, and what impact he or she wants to achieve as a result.
Both journeys require abandoning habits and comfort zones, courage and the ability to endure uncertainty. The entrepreneur faces financial uncertainties, risks of failure and many challenges. However, these risks are a vehicle for great change.
The process of inner transformation enables the person to become a more self-conscious and mature individual. The impact of this transformation on one's environment is increased productivity, a solution-oriented approach to events, and increased creativity and awareness. The person who establishes a social enterprise aims to solve a specific problem and create a positive impact in society with the values they hold. The impact of a successful social enterprise is not only to achieve the founder's goals and self-realization, but also to transform and improve society.
Both the journey of inner transformation and the process of starting a social initiative are journeys that require deep personal and professional change, courage, patience and determination. These processes enable us to become self-aware individuals and to lead an effective transformation by focusing on social and environmental benefits.
Social Impact Measurement
Change is inevitable. What matters is what we change, what we transform and the impact of this change and transformation on society and the environment. In social entrepreneurship, measuring the impact of the change created is called social impact measurement.
As a social enterprise, creating positive social or environmental impact is at the heart of our work. Because of that, we must be able to identify, understand and capture the full value of the impact of our activities.
This month, we celebrated an important beginning together in Altınözü, Hatay: “Production Heals” The Livelihood Facility has become a pioneering center of hope for other facilities planned to open in the region.
Beginnings are important, but achieving real results requires labor and patience. That's why, with every new initiative we launch to create social impact, we ask the following questions.
Which impact occurs in which time frame? How important is this impact for people or the environment?
For whom? Who is experiencing the impact? How do the affected stakeholders experience the impact?
How? What impact does it generate?
How much? How much of the impact is realized? What is the number, duration, reach, and scale?
What is the contribution? What is your social enterprise's contribution to impact?
What are the possible risks? What is the risk to people and the environment if the impact does not materialize as expected?
What Happened in the Field in May?
Eastern Mediterranean Altınözü “Production Heals” Livelihood Facility opened. With the support of SEECO and in cooperation with Altınözü Municipality, the most equipped industrial kitchen in the region was established for HAZEK Cooperative. In the kitchen, which was established to start again after all the difficulties and to feel the power of togetherness, Hatay's local products are produced with solidarity, labor and faith, and Hatay's table is opened to all of Turkey through chain markets.
With the valuable speeches of Hatay Governor Mustafa MASATLI, Ahmet ŞİMŞEK, Director General of Development Agencies of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, Laurent GUIRKINGER, Head of Humanitarian and Social Development Department of the EU Delegation to Turkey, Hande KARA, SEECO Project Coordinator, Leyla Ayvazoğlu, President of HAZEK Women Cooperative, Altınözü “Production Heals” Livelihood Facility opened. Within the scope of SEECO, a contract was signed between Mardin Artuklu University and Tigris Development Agency for the “One More Step to Healthy Living: Gluten-Free Products Project.” The aim of the project is to support the healthy living of the people of the region, provide access to gluten-free food, to empower women and youth from the host and guest communities socio-economically and to provide qualified employment.
The winners of the 2nd Cycle of the Grant Scheme in Gaziantep, Adıyaman, Kilis, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır and Mardin were announced and the trainings have started.
Within the scope of the trainings to be held in May and June, our potential beneficiaries are provided with information on many important topics ranging from business plans to product development, from market research to communication techniques. After the trainings, the business plans are evaluated by the Beneficiary Selection Committee (FSC) and the grant beneficiaries are announced.
In addition to our beneficiary candidates who have started their entrepreneurial journeys within the scope of the second cycle, grant contracts continue to be signed with those who have completed the application, training and evaluation stages in the first cycle and are entitled to receive grants. So far, contracts have been signed with 305 beneficiaries and procurement processes have started according to the plan they presented in their business plans.
This month, we hosted representatives of the EU Delegation and the World Bank in the field and visited the Social Entrepreneurship Centers and Livelihood Facilities established with the project support in Gaziantep, Osmaniye and Hatay.
We started discussions to prepare a policy brief on “Innovative Impact Financing Structures for Social Entrepreneurship and their Applicability in Turkey”. We organized Ecosystem Meetings to initiate a dialogue in the ecosystem and prepare for the Policy Brief. We met with representatives from different institutions and categories including investment offices, funds, family offices, foundations, relevant public institutions, development agencies, accelerators, incubators and ecosystem partners.
A workshop was held at the Tarsus Gastronomy Center to promote local dishes and GI products as part of the Turkish Cuisine Week.
At the EYDK Impact Investing Summit held at Boğaziçi University, Ahmet Şimşek, Director General of Development Agencies at the Ministry of Industry and Technology and SEECO Project Country Director, was a speaker at the panel 'Telling Impact: Stories of Early Impact Investments in Turkey' panel.
At the EYDK Impact Investing Summit, our SEECO Project Country Director Ahmet Şimşek spoke on 'Telling Impact: Stories of Early Impact Investments in Turkey'. As SEECO, we continue to work to make impactful beginnings and increase our social impact.
Where Should Social Change Start?
Social change cannot be separated from our individual development. Social transformation is a reflection of the inner transformation of individuals. People value others as much as they value themselves. This is also related to the impact we have on ourselves and our environment.
Returning to our own unique nature, discovering our talents, discovering our unique stance and sentences constitute the first step in our efforts to transform society. When we first cultivate trust and hope within ourselves, we can reflect this value in society.
May it be a month in which we add value to ourselves and our environment...