Community development and entrepreneurship in

social workZsolt Bugarszki, PhD

The special character of the Estonian welfare system

• Attitude toward welfare • Level of social expenditures

• Geographic and demographic situation

Attitude toward welfare

Level of social expenditures

Estonia

Estonian communities as resources

• Experiences of the TIKK project• Voluntary activities and community support in Estonia• Eestvedaja• The character of local initiatives

Voluntary activities and community support

• About 24-28% of Estonians participate in any voluntary activities

• But if we ask them about informal peer-to-peer support 47% of Estonians answer that they did it in the last 12 months

Eestvedaja• Women• 40+• 10-15 persons (3-4 persons as core)• Culture, sport• Local politics

• Low organizational skills • Distance from modern technology• Strong “NGO culture”

Creativity and innovation

• Leaving the comfort zone• Social enterprises• Sharing economy • Apps and gadgets• Entrepreneurship vs. grantees

Social enterprises