Meet & Greet with Germany's Social Innovation Sector

Afterwards, we made our way to the Social Research Centre of the Technical University of Dortmund. In the afternoon, there were two exciting workshops on the topic of social finance and impact measurement. Dr. Markus Freiburg from the Financing Agency for Social Entrepreneurship (FASE) presented practical examples of business models and financing options for social ventures. This was followed by an interactive workshop on the topic of impact measurement, in which Dr Judith Terstriep from the Institute for Work and Technology (IAT) offered insights into the theory. Adding to the theory, Thomas Steiner from PHINEO shared practical experiences he has acquired in the introduction and further development of methods for impact measurement in social enterprises.

On the second day of the meeting, the group visited the city's Social Innovation Center in Dortmund, which was introduced to us by its director, Dr Arne Elias. In his talk, he presented key social innovation projects in Dortmund and the approach to challenges which are pressing in Dortmund. This led to a lively exchange about approaches that support local social innovation. After a joint lunch, the group left Dortmund and made their way on to Berlin for the second part of the trip.

In the footsteps of Social Innovation in Germany’s capital

With all the inspiring input from Dortmund, the group delved into conversations and animated exchanges of experiences from the partner countries during the three-and-a-half-hour journey by train. After everyone checked into their hotels, we continued with the next special stop - meeting point in Berlin Kreuzberg - at 5.00 pm. There we met Muhammed Lamin, who offered us an exceptional guided tour of the city. Realised by the non-profit association querstadtein, his tour "Kreuzberg behind the Scenes: The Making of a Diverse Neighbourhood" inspired all participants. The group followed Muhammed through Kreuzberg as he shared very personal experiences of his own migration story that led him to Berlin and how this relates to the historical development and importance of this Berlin neighbourhood for people with a migration background. A very different kind of city tour that took us to places which invited us to pause and reflect. At the end of the city tour, warmth and refreshment awaited us in a nearby restaurant to end the day on a cosy note. During dinner, we reviewed the experiences of the day and everyone quickly agreed that this tour had been a great experience for the entire group.

The third and last day of our excursion through Germany started with an interesting visit to a successful social enterprise. We met on the grounds of the old Malzfabrik, a beautiful old brick building that has been converted to creative offices and innovative spaces and also houses the social enterprise Acker e.V.. Here we were warmly welcomed by the Acker team. First, Valentina Gutgesell from the "Strategic Communication & Network" department introduced the company to us and we were given many valuable insights into the development of the organisation. From the beginnings and ideas of the founder, to the development of the educational programs for children, such as the GemüseAckerdemie, AckerRacker or GemüseKlasse, we also learned a lot about the business model and the scaling plans of the "renewable" social enterprise. Afterwards, we had lunch and then we headed to one of the offices of Social Impact gGmbH for the afternoon session.

Exciting impulse presentations kicked off the afternoon. Dr. Grit Kühne from the Diakonie Schleswig-Holstein started with her input on the German welfare sector. She vividly presented the work in the welfare sector through projects such as MAMBA and SEMPRE and was readily available to answer questions. Shai Hoffmann followed with the topic of social activism. He told us about his political engagement and his various projects, including Bus der Begegnungen, Demos Mag and Brand New Bundestag. During a short coffee break, we were able to discuss what we had just heard in more depth.

The event was concluded with a session by Katrin Elsemann. She is an external expert of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection in the field of non-profit business and social enterprises. With her experience in her work with and within political processes for the promotion of social innovation, she gave us interesting insights into the development of the Federal Ministry's "National Strategy for Social Innovation". Afterwards, we we said goodbye to some of our European guests. The now smaller group completed the day and the three-day tour with a joint dinner.

Looking back on the three days, we feel inspired and grateful for the many connections and interesting learnings. The visit of the ESIA partners in Germany was an inspiring experience full of special encounters of the social-innovative kind. All in all, it was a memorable trip that gave us valuable first-hand impressions of the ecosystem of social innovation in Germany and many interesting insights. We learned a lot, were able to share exceptional experiences and took time for intensive professional and personal discussions. We would like to sincerely thank everyone who participated as well as the entire team who made this experience possible!

The study visit took place from 14th to 16th February 2023 in Dortmund and Berlin.