On November 30th 2021, the online presentation of the Join2Share transnational platform took place. More than 50 participants attended and shared their thoughts and questions about the newly developed sharing economy platform especially designed for the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) and tailor-made for the regions of the Mediterranean EEA. Social enterprises, expert professionals and public stakeholders are the target audience and prospective registered users of the platform.
The Join2Share is the final steppingstone for the YOUTHShare beneficiaries before their entrepreneurial plans become a reality and at the same time a unique reference point for their necessary networking. In that respect the YOUTHShare project pilots a holistic approach to NEETs starting from the research informed operation of the Transnational Employment Centre and its personalised help, moving to the e-learning program on niche sectors of the Mediterranean economy, then to internships that provide hands on experience and concluding at the Join2Share platform that facilitates, through mentoring and networking the entrepreneurial endeavours of former NEETs.
The Join2Share platform is also open to a variety of players in social economy. Other SSE entities, experts and public stakeholders can register, build their profile, contribute in the forum section, provide news and job openings or write articles in the management, marketing, funding, legislation or accounting section of the platform. Join2Share is essentially a welcoming online space for creating and connecting with fellow SSE members, as well as building networking relations within its infrastructure.
As the communication manager of the YOUTHShare project noted, while addressing the presentation event, there is a distinct difference between the definitions of network and networking: “Network, according to Chisholm, is a sum of independent organisations to achieve targets impossible to reach, if they did not cooperate, however, networking in systems theory is slightly different; it’s much more than a simple cooperation on the basis of common interests and goals; it requests social synergy, a community of ideas and perspectives that build common trust among partners [..] It’s self-understandable that both network and networking have a wide range of implementation. Every company is a basic network of its shareholders, so from basic entrepreneurial units up to complex Local Development Networks or even the social media, networks are a fundamental feature of social life. The point is to create networking”.
In that respect, Join2Share’s goal is to accommodate SSE entities in order for them to exchange knowledge, experience, ideas and much more, forming networks between them, and going one step further, through the process of familiarising with each other, to construct a more in-depth connection that leads to trust.
The Join2Share platform is open to anybody in social economy and for free, including the services and information that are provided there.
