Theme 9: Social economy, social inclusion and fight against poverty
Social economy is the driving force par excellence for the social integration of many of the target groups in society, not only on the labour market but also in society as a whole. Numerous initiatives show that activation and commitment make the fight against poverty and social exclusion far more successful than is the case if only benefits and social assistance are involved. Indeed, the involvement of actors, workers, stakeholders and beneficiaries in the 'enterprise' as such whatever the economic activity, product or service, can enhance its societal success with respect to social inclusion. That way, social economy enterprises can play an important role in improving equal access to numerous services for all, thereby preventing and providing solutions to the ever increasing poverty problem in society. Accessibility needs of course to be addressed in a broad sense: mere existence of the service, geographical, financial, social access, capability of the users, etc.
