Can social enterprise help fix the Greek crisis?

Myrto Papadogeorgou and her business partner Nikos Konstantinou chose not to join the exodus of 200,000 people from Greece over the past five years. Instead they’ve stayed, hoping to help drag their country out of crisis. For them, and many other young Greeks, starting a social enterprise has become a way to capitalise on their frustrations in the face of 52% youth unemployment.

   But Papadogeorgou and Konstantinou have hit a dead end. After four years unsuccessfully applying for funding from organisations at home and abroad for City of Errors, an interactive platform they’ve developed that encourages users to fix their city’s problems, the defeated pair have stopped trying. Now they talk about leaving Greece.

   “We tried to make a living but we can’t,” says Papadogeorgou “There’s no money here and the taxation is huge. We are trying to stay positive, but we’re lying to ourselves.” Papadogeorgou and Konstantinou believe their lack of success is down to Greek attitudes towards social enterprise. A relatively new concept in the country, it was only recognised through legislation in September 2011, and attitudes have been slow to follow.

   The two describe, for example, how Greek companies are reluctant to invest in the social economy. Papadogeorgou says some meetings are like talking to a brick wall: “Social entrepreneurship is not understood in Greece. It’s really hard to get funding because people don’t understand how you can have an impact.”

Πηγή: theguardian.com