Barcelona Social Business City
The Barcelona SBC programme aimed to identify social needs and, through its first three years of activity, attempt to promote social change in the city. After a careful analysis of needs, the first major social challenge was identified: the reduction of the youth unemployment rate.
In order to achieve this goal, the programme aimed to promote and encourage joint work between different actors in the city: the municipality, existing social businesses and other private organisations wishing to contribute to the goal. Partners in the programme included the Yunus Centre in Dhaka, the Pistoia Social Business City programme, the Yunus Social Business Centre University of Florence and the Grameen Creative Lab.
When the programme ended in 2017, an evaluation of the results of the actions taken and activities implemented was carried out in order to make Barcelona a real Social Business City.
An important result was the birth of the Yunus Social Business Centre University of Barcelona and the Social Business City of Barcelona association.
Interviews conducted with the social entrepreneurs involved in the programme have shown that Barcelona is now able to stimulate the development of new forms of entrepreneurship. Thanks to the programme, many young people are entering the world of social entrepreneurship with new ideas and valid objectives.
Entrepreneurs were generally satisfied with the Social Business City programme and in particular with the mentoring and support they received. They stressed the importance of collaborating with other businesses and organisations as a source of mutual help and inspiration.
