The first training course of “Alternative B: Green action for change”, took place in Gørding, Denmark in the second week of March. During the course young people from across Europe came together to create business plans for their future social enterprises.
To share more about the project we invited Kasia, one of the participants in the course, for an interview. Kasia is a Polish student, currently doing her Master’s degree in Global Refugee studies at Aalborg University north of Denmark. In her own words she is “…an explorer, a social science enthusiast, with a dose of interest for global issues and their reflection on a local level”.
Katarzyna Tarasiewicz
- Tell us more about the project “Alternative B” and your participation in it?
I must admit, I found out about the project relatively late and my decision to participate was quite spontaneous. Honestly, I had never thought of myself as a social entrepreneur, never really considered it… but then I got interested in what the project was promising to introduce and make us do within just a couple of days. I decided to give it a shot and see what I get out of it. And I got positively surprised
- What type of social enterprise idea are you working on?
I don’t want to reveal too many details quite yet! What I can say at this point is that I want to cooperate with young artists in Denmark (as a start) to help them promote their art, while supporting a good cause. It will mainly engage young, talented people who are willing to sell their products and allocate part of the profit to charity.
- What did you learn for the time spent in Goerding during the course?
Oh, this one is hard. I have learn a lot! But first of all, I have learnt that there is no such a thing as ‘no ideas’. I didn’t have anything particular in mind upon arrival and honestly, I wasn’t really sure if social entrepreneurship was something I would find myself in, but I quickly realized that human creativity is limitless. Especially, when working with other people, one can develop great projects ideas and this is what I mostly appreciate the “Alternative B” project for – letting you get to know such a diverse group of individuals. I have of course learnt lots about the technicalities of working with social enterprise, like how to plan or fund your business. However, opening my eyes for ideas and people and making me realize what social business really is about has been the greatest value after all.
- What would be your next step in relation to this project?
Reach out to people I need to make my business work! I have already started to spread the news here and there, but since I am still a student, I am facing problems with time management. But one of the things which have been engraved in my memory since we all left Gørding, is that if you want to do something for people, you must work with people. I am planning on doing market research soon to find out how many are willing to participate and what sorts of products are desired. It will be a lot of work, but my levels of motivation and belief in this project are as high as they were during my time in Gørding. Thanks to the group of advisors and supervisors we met during the first course of the “Alternative B” project, I believe most of us will succeed and share their stories next time, when we all meet in Bulgaria.