On the 24th and 25th of October, the core partners of the EASE project got together in Nice to begin work on the 2-year project which is partly funded by the "Transfer of Innovation” programme and is part of the European Union’s Lifelong Learning Programme. Through this project, the partners will create two new viable social enterprises in England and France, based on empowerment and entrepreneurship.

The partners involved Basta (Sweden), who is the lead coordinator of the project, and Elia (France) and Diagrama Foundation (UK), the two organisations that are importing the Basta model. The organisations had an opportunity to introduce each of its participating members, and to go through the details of project for the next two years. They were also able to begin arrangements for the first consortium meeting, to be taking place on the 4th and 5th of November in Nice, which involves all the different partners.

The project is on schedule and each organisation has now began making all the necessary preparations for a successful transfer with the aim of offering an innovative approach to address one of Europe’s biggest challenges: creating sustainable integration for people outside the labour market.