Social entrepreneurship as a challenge for social changes: the analysis of social entrepreneurship on practical examples

Socijalno poduzetništvo privlači sve veću pozornost javnosti te se ubrzano razvija. Ono ukazuje na važnost poticanja društvenih promjena kroz rad poduzetnika koji prepoznaje probleme aktualne u društvu te im pristupa na inovativan, poduzetan i socijalan način. Osnovna razlika između poslovnog i socijalnog poduzetnika, tj. poduzetništva je njegov krajnji cilj. Osim rasta profita i povrata uloga, uspjeh socijalnog poduzetnika mjeri se i utjecajem na promjene u društvu. Oni koji se bave socijalnim poduzetništvom teže dakle boljem društvu i pomaganju onima koji pomoć najviše treba, a isto rade kroz poduzetničke akcije od kojih neće nužno uvijek profitirati oni sami, već društvo kao cjelina. Taekwondo klub Čigra i Udruga Poduzetni dvije su institucije koje se godinama bave socijalnim poduzetništvom. Kroz rad s djecom s teškoćama u razvoju, Čigra se bori protiv socijalnog isključivanja djece, ne samo iz društva, već se bori s prihvaćanjem njihovog samog poimanja te kontinuiranog razvoja njihovih osobnih kompetencija i socijalnih vještina. Udruga Poduzetni zalaže se za cjeloživotno obrazovanje gdje radionicama, seminarima, tečajevima i ostalim vrstama skupova nudi pomoć osobama svih uzrasta u poimanju i razvoju poduzetništva, razvoju poduzetničkih kompetencija od najmlađih uzrasta te svojim aktivnostima promiče socijalno poduzetništvo. Dugoročni je cilj ovih institucija poboljšanje sveukupne slike društva, no promjene takvih razmjera najčešće započinju obrazovanjem pojedinaca. Kako socijalno poduzetništvo nije ostvarilo puni potencijal, za njegov razvoj potrebno je prikazati puniji uvid u važnost promicanja socijalnog poduzetništva. Stoga je glavni cilj istraživanja podizanje svijesti o potencijalu socijalnog poduzetništva i njegovom doprinosu u društvu u Republici Hrvatskoj. U svrhu ostvarenja tog cilja, provedeno je sekundarno istraživanje (analiza sadržaja relevantne znanstvene i stručne literature s naglaskom na iskustva dobre prakse u Republici Hrvatskoj) te primarno istraživanje putem intervjua na uzorku od 5 osoba. Rezultati istraživanja prikazani su u radu, a ukazuju na važnost te još uvijek slabo shvaćanje socijalnog poduzetništva u društvu kao cjelini.Social entrepreneurship has lately been attracting more attention from the general public as it continues to grow. It shows the importance of supporting societal changes through the work of entrepreneurs who recognize current societal problems and approach them in an innovative, entrepreneurial and social way. The main difference between a business and a social entrepreneur or entrepreneurship is its main goal. Besides profit growth and return on investment, the success of a social entrepreneur is viewed through their impact on society. Those who act in the field of social entrepreneurship are therefore striving to create a better society for all and to help individuals who need help the most. They do this through entrepreneurial projects which will bring profits not only to themselves but also to society as a whole. Taekwondo club “Čigra” and Association Enterprising are two institutions that have been promoting social entrepreneurship for years. Through working with children with developmental disabilities, “Čigra” does not only fight the social exclusion of children but also helps their acceptance of themselves and continuous development of their competencies and social skills. Association Enterprising stands for lifelong education and through workshops, seminars and other types of educational gatherings, they offer help to people of all ages to understand and develop the entrepreneurial state of mind. They believe entrepreneurial skills should be developed from the earliest age and through this, they support and promote social entrepreneurship as well. The long-term goal of these institutions is to better the society they exist and act within, but such changes most often begin with educating individuals. Since social entrepreneurship has not yet been developed to its full potential, the key to its development is to show an insight into its importance. For this reason, the main goal of this research was to raise awareness of the potential social entrepreneurship hides and how it can add to the overall quality of the society of the Republic of Croatia. In order to achieve this goal, we conducted primary (in the form of interviews) and secondary (an analysis of contents of significant scientific and professional literature with an emphasis on experiences of good practice in the Republic of Croatia) research. The results of these two types of research are shown in the article, and they indicate the importance as well as still poor understanding of social entrepreneurship in society as a whole