To promote the development of social entrepreneurship and foster collaboration between Latvia and Lithuania in this sector, five thematic experience exchange visits to social enterprises in Latvia and Lithuania are taking place between January and May 2025. Social entrepreneurs, social science educators, municipal specialists and other stakeholders from both countries – primarily from the Zemgale region and Northern Lithuania (municipalities of Rokiškės, Biržai, Pasvalė, Kupiškės and Panvėžys) – are invited to participate. Participation is free of charge and the working language is English.
The first experience exchange tour, which took place on 15 January in Jelgava county and Jelgava city, focused on education, youth work and local community development, has ended with positive feedback from participants and new contacts for further cooperation.
The second tour will take place on 19 February in Latvia – Riga and Jelgava county, where there will be an opportunity to get to know four social enterprises working in the field of work integration and social services. The event will start in Riga at the social enterprise “Neredzamā pasaule” where participants will be able to learn about the daily life of blind people and the professions available to them. A tour in the dark will allow participants to experience the world through touch, sound, and smell. In the second half of the day, participants will travel to Jelgava County to learn about the experience of social enterprises “4 vēji”, “Sonido” and “Visi Var” in employing and training people at risk of social exclusion.
The cycle of experience exchange tours “Discovering the potential of social enterprises in Latvia and Lithuania” is part of the activities of the Interreg VI-A Latvia-Lithuania Programme 2021-2027 project “Improving the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Zemgale and Northern Lithuania” (RE:IMPACT), implemented by the Zemgale Planning Region in cooperation with the Latvian Social Entrepreneurship Association, Lithuanian Social Business Association and Rokiskis District Municipality. The tours are a great opportunity not only to get to know different social enterprises and their impact in each country, but also to gain new contacts and ideas for meeting the needs of society.
Each tour focuses on a specific theme, such as youth work, social services, cultural heritage and tourism, work integration, nature and animal protection, sustainability, community building and more. Three trips are taking place in Latvia and two in Lithuania. Free shared transport will be provided for participants to more distant destinations.
The next experience exchange event is planned for 21 March to Pasvalė district in Lithuania, where participants will have the opportunity to learn about our neighbouring country’s social entrepreneurs’ initiatives that promote the involvement of seniors and young people in local community building. The experience of other Lithuanian social entrepreneurs in heritage conservation and tourism will be presented on 16 April in the Rokiškis district. The series of experience exchange visits will end on 21 May with a tour to Ķekava Municipality, where Latvian social enterprises working in the fields of animal protection, nature conservation and sustainability will be featured.
Participation in each event must be enrolled in separately. Application forms will open gradually over time and will be available at www.zemgale.lv, under “News” and https://latlit.eu under Project Calendar.
This publication has been produced with the financial support of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the Zemgale Planning Region and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Union.