Partner meeting in Athens and what is next for the CDM project?
At the beginning of June, the second transnational meeting between the 6 partner organisations from 5 European countries collaborating on the CDM (Community Development Manager) project took place in Athens, Greece. The project aims to foster collaboration between small and medium-sized enterprises and the local communities in which they operate.
The research phase of the project is nearing its end. Together with our partners, we had the opportunity to discuss and analyse the survey and interview results collected so far across five countries. We also laid the foundation for a comprehensive training programme focused on linking companies’ CSR policies with community development.
Based on the gathered insights, we will draft universal recommendations for local community development (CD Recommendations) by encouraging specific strategies, behaviours, and reorganisation pathways applicable across Europe. The next step is to design a training curriculum for working on socially responsible initiatives aimed at community growth and sustainability. The training will aim to enhance the competencies of young professionals responsible for CSR initiatives within companies, as well as aspiring specialists and students in the field.
Participants who complete the online course will receive a digital badge and the title Community Development Technician, along with the opportunity to take part in a special hackathon. There, they will meet like-minded people, local companies, and community organisations to co-develop their own prototypes of social initiatives. The winners of the hackathon will have the chance to attend our three-day CDM School in Milan, Italy, where they will receive valuable feedback and mentorship from local experts.
If we’ve sparked your interest and you’d like to join the project, now is the perfect time to get involved. If you haven’t yet completed our survey, you can still do so at this link (in Bulgarian): 👉 https://forms.gle/9H85w9f4XxWRW2Vi8
And if you’d like to share more about your company’s experience, don’t hesitate to contact us for a short interview.
We’ll soon be publishing the official results of the research, so stay tuned to our channels to be the first to learn what’s coming next.