This past August, Diagrama Foundation received the exciting news that its project application “Empowerment Approaches and Social Enterprise,” also known as EASE, has been approved. The project will be partly funded by the programme Leonardo da Vinci Multilateral Projects "Transfer of Innovation," which is part of the European Union’s Lifelong Learning Programme.

The project will be kicked off with the first partner meeting in October, in France. The partners, with whom some of them Diagrama has worked with in the past, include: Basta and Fryshuset, from Sweden; Ellebore Calystegia (Elia) and Coopération Locale et Appui aux Initiatives dans l'Economie sociale et solidaire, from France; Communita San Patrignano Societa Cooperativa Sociale from Italy; Jegersberg gård - rehabiliterings – og kompetansessenter from Norway; Fundación Diagrama from Spain; and lastly Action with Communities in Rural Kent and Diagrama Foundation from England and Wales.

Through EASE, the partners want to transfer the model of the Basta social enterprise to Elia, in France, and Diagrama Foundation in England. Both organisations want to create sustainable social enterprises that will allow for employability and entry to the labour market for marginalised groups. The project will develop training materials, reports, and new insights, which all will be made available on the project’s website. Furthermore, there will be two seminars and a final conference that will help disseminate and mainstream the projects results.

Diagrama Foundation is very much looking forward to beginning its work, and is very happy to have been given the opportunity to continue making a difference in the lives of those that need that extra help and support.