The project “European practices of social entrepreneurship: sustainability, inclusion and creativity” was presented at the university.
The implementation of the Erasmus+ project under the Jean Monnet Program "European practices of social entrepreneurship: sustainability, inclusion and creativity" (EUROSECRET) is ongoing. Zaporizhzhia National University (ZNU) received the grant for financing in August 2022. The project started on October 1, 2022.
The project coordinator is Dr. Anna Pereverzeva, a professor at the Department of International Economics, Natural Resources and International Tourism Economics. The project team includes Dr. Volodymyr Volkov, a professor; Natalia Vengerska, a PhD candidate and associate professor; Irina Bakalenko, a PhD candidate and associate professor; Yevhen Merzhynskyi, a PhD candidate and associate professor; and Olga Rotko, a graduate student. The project was first presented on October 13, 2022, as part of the #ErasmusDays 2022 national initiative, at the Second International Scientific and Practical Conference "Problems and Prospects of Implementing European Experience in Diversifying Rural Tourism in Ukraine Based on Creativity and Balance," hosted by the Faculty of Economics.
On May 13, 2023, the second presentation of the project took place, featuring a webinar and an interesting quiz with prizes provided by informational sponsors. The First Vice-Rector, Doctor of Science, Professor Oleksandr Bondar greeted the participants, emphasizing the importance of synergy between projects, including EUROLAND and EUROSECRET, being implemented at Zaporizhzhia National University (ZNU), and highlighting the significance of social entrepreneurship for the post-war recovery of our state. The Vice-Rector for Research, Doctor of Science, Professor Henadii Vasylychuk remarked that, despite the difficult conditions, ZNU, along with its teams, continues to implement projects, incorporate positive European experience, and lay the groundwork for the future development of Ukraine.
The project coordinator, Anna Pereverzeva, emphasized the difficulty in making a decision about submitting the project, which was associated with the start of the war. However, thanks to the project activity coordinators at the university, Olena Tupakhina, Yuriy Kaganov, and the team, the project was still prepared and received funding. Its timeliness and relevance should be noted, as it is necessary to build the national economy based on positive EU practices and advantages, which lie in reaching various target groups, creating opportunities for spreading and implementing social entrepreneurship ideas among the wider public. The project presentation included elements of visualization, as well as discussions about the goal, tasks, and expected results. Separate modules were also considered.
Module 1. Development of social entrepreneurship in EU countries (Volodymyr Volkov, Anna Pereverzeva): examining social enterprises as dynamic elements of the European economic system and their characteristics based on examples from EU countries.
Module 2. The role of intellectual capital in ensuring creativity, inclusivity, and sustainability of social entrepreneurship: experience from EU countries (Anna Pereverzeva, Yevhen Merzhynskyi): formation of competencies of higher education students in studying and mastering the opportunities for analyzing indicators of innovative activity and evaluating the state of intellectual capital of organizations.
Module 3. European business models of social youth entrepreneurship (Yevhen Merzhynskyi and Natalia Vengerska): practical material on the application of digital services and internet platforms for creating Canva business models to develop their own social product, a business game for forming ideas, target audience, and monetizing IT products, where the main goal is to develop skills in students related to analyzing the needs of the target audience and the methodology of MVP research for creating their own social product.
Module 4. Media literacy for social entrepreneurship (Irina Bakalenko and Olga Rotko): minimum theory and maximum practice, important issues regarding the role of information in society; media consumption and the importance of media hygiene; social media and what is digital footprint and digital identity; algorithm of "safe" actions; manipulation technologies and fake news; fact-checking algorithms. The training format of the classes will allow course participants to develop practical skills: individual protection from "information leaks"; critical and creative thinking and resistance to harmful influences encountered in the media space; distinguishing facts from opinions, avoiding language of hostility, unraveling "balls" of negative stereotypes; detecting manipulation and fake news, identifying markers of misinformation and false messages.
At the event, Svitlana Rozsohach, a geography teacher from secondary school 65, presented her experience in implementing a school social entrepreneurship project. She talked about the eco-game "Ecopoliya," which was created by a team of students. Participants had the opportunity to attend a webinar on "Theoretical and Practical Research on Social Entrepreneurship," where the project coordinator, Anna Pereverzyeva, presented applied research on the topic, which formed the basis for choosing the project theme. The quiz on social entrepreneurship, conducted by Irina Bakalenko using the Kahoot program, generated considerable interest among the participants. The winners were: 1st place - Liza Dmytrova, 2nd place - Artem Hryzun, 3rd place - Mariia Vasyliuk. In addition, prize drawings continued, and participants will be able to receive prizes for the most mentions, stories about their participation in the project presentation, and their impressions on social media. At the end of the event, the coordinator of the project "Diversification of Rural Tourism through Balance and Creativity: Dissemination of European Experience in Ukraine" (DIRUT), Natalia Vengerska, emphasized the importance of collaboration with information partners and the synergy of projects for successful implementation of projects.
Detailed information about the project can be found at:
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