Founded in 1997, the Diesis Network is now one of the largest networks specialised in supporting the development of the social economy, social entrepreneurship and social innovation.

In view of the high social, economic and ecological stakes, we are deeply convinced that a global commitment from all stakeholders and a collaborative approach is the only response to a global crisis. Diesis aims to contribute to the growth of social economy in Europe and worldwide.

Functioning as a unique ecosystem, we create and multiply our impact through close collaboration with our members, who represent over 90,000 organisations and 1.2 million workers through major national federations and support networks.

Together with our members, we support the development of social economy by sharing knowledge through peer learning, capacity building, cross-sectorial and cross-country exchanges of good practices and research. Through our initiatives we influence national, European and International policies.

Sustainability and innovation are at the core of Diesis’s human-centred approach. We believe in an inclusive economy based on social and economic impact, in the primacy of the individual and the social objective over capital, and in democratic governance.

With a variety of profiles, backgrounds and origins, our team is actively engaged in implementing knowledge-based activities and continuously improving to serve our network efficiently and effectively.

The Diesis Network proudly operates as a member of Social Economy Europe, CECOP-CICOPA, ESS Forum International, PCC Platform Cooperative Consortium, Lifelong Learning Platform, All Digital, the UnionMigrantNet network, the European Alliance for Responsible Tourism Hosting (EARTH), and the International Social Tourism Organisation (ISTO-OITS).

KNOWLEDGE
Sharing and exploiting knowledge is central to Diesis’s ability to thrive and has significant relevance for developing the enterprises it represents. Knowledge building is one of our key strengths. It involves making a collective inquiry into a specific topic and reaching a deeper understanding through interactive questioning, dialogue, and continuous improvement of ideas.

SKILLS FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Developing skills for social entrepreneurship through training and education is an important way to empower people and raise awareness of the benefits and added value of the social economy for the community. Diesis brings its expertise in social entrepreneurship to bear by promoting a modern, integrated and holistic methodology based on formal and non-formal education and e-learning activities.

NETWORK
Networking and engagement are the foundation of the Diesis Network. It is a core approach to making a collective positive impact and implementing solutions that strengthen the social economy ecosystem. The main principle on which this community is built – today and in the future – is collaboration. We aim to create a sustainable network through connecting and supporting members and partners to create conditions and space for capacity building, leadership and mutual support. We encourage openness and flexibility, and value consistency in engagement.

Diesis Network has implemented diverse projects related to eco social entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills development:

VET Training for Food Sustainability (2022-2024)

Food sustainability is an important issue for the food sector, not only because it’s ethic, fair and appreciate by the customers, also because EU rules are going more and more strict in order to face this challenge. From this point of view, sustainable food businesses have a great economic value and a solid potential of growth. Building a stronger and more equitable food system requires the fresh thinking, talents, and a renewed spirit of entrepreneurship. However, in order to facilitate the creation of future sustainable food production and service entrepreneurs, the young must be made aware and trained about sustainability. With these aims, the education system can develop programs of training in the sustainability field. Tourism and Food sector are strictly linked to the environment, and they are encouraged to make their methods healthier and more environmentally friendly: they need professional profiles that are able to guide them towards this transition.

WE GREEN
Rural Women’s Empowerment through GREen Social ENtrepreneurship (2022-2024)

The European Green Deal sets Europe on the pathway to becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The EU’s first-ever Gender Equality Strategy is designed to make gender equality in the EU a reality. Building synergies between these two strategies, especially in the rural area, will be crucial to improving gender equality in energy, climate, and sustainability space in Europe and harnessing Europe’s talent to support a green and sustainable transition. The Rural Women’s Empowerment through GREen Social ENtrepreneurship – WE GREEN project addresses the need for transforming the EU economy into a green one and developing new skills required for both green jobs and green entrepreneurship in the rural area, using digitalization and social economy models.

T4Food
Training for Sustainable Food Systems Development (2017-2019)

T4F -Training for Sustainable Food Systems Development, aimed to develop a professional training based on the development of “green skills” in the food sector, in order to increase the number of jobs linked with an ecological, sustainable and inclusive transition. In regard to the necessity of including the environmental and sustainable dimensions in the European issues of growth, training and employment, T4F project partners developed a toolkit for (future) professionals in the food sector composed of a training manual and a toolbox. Training tools are addressed to workers or VET-students, who are part of the food chain management, who intend to develop an expertise in implementing and promoting food value chains in their own working sectors, according with their professional specificities.

THE TRANSITION PATHWAY
Together with the Social Economy Action Plan (SEAP), the European Commission has published an annex identifying “Scenarios towards co-creation of a transition pathway for a resilient, innovative, sustainable and digital proximity and social economy ecosystem”. Such a Transition Pathway process is currently under way for several of the 14 industrial ecosystems. Diesis was the consortium leader which supported the European Commission in carrying out several actions to develop the transition pathway of the proximity and social economy ecosystem:

Analysis of the results of the online consultation organised by the EC;

Organisation of a set of online workshops to collect the opinions and needs of the ecosystem stakeholders, and identify areas of joint action for the green and digital transition;

Organisation of a workshop during the “Social Economy: The Future of Europe” conference in Strasbourg;

Preparation of orientation and policy papers on the digital and green transition of the proximity and social economy and of the workshops report;

Website: https://www.diesis.coop/
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LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/diesis-coop/
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