Creative Initiatives in Social Enterprises for Assistance, Labour Integration and Self-development)

ended

CRISALIS (CReative Initiatives in Social enterprises for Assistance, Labour Integration and Self-development) is an integration scheme combining employment and creative self-development for a victim-centered approach aimed at women who are third-country nationals and are victims of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The scheme is piloted by two young social enterprises in two Member States where sexual exploitation is an emergency: Italy and the Netherlands. The action’s primary objective is the promotion of the social integration and economic empowerment of victims of sexual exploitation through concrete employment opportunities. At the same time the scheme complements training and employment with creative expression workshops and creative co-creation opportunities aimed at building a new, positive personal narrative as a tool for trauma recovery and cultural integration. Two creative social enterprises, Progetto Quid (Verona) and Makers Unite (Amsterdam), will set up an 18 months traineeship and apprenticeship scheme for 16 women victims of sex slavery. Within this scheme, Greek social entreprise The Language Project will provide creative expression workshops to the beneficiaries. This professional, personal, and creative development scheme will culminate in the co-design and co-creation of a product that will include the beneficiaries’ creative input, to be sold by both social enterprises as a way to raise awareness around the issue of human trafficking. The scheme will lead to the permanent employment of the 16 beneficiaries, hindering relapse into the black market and facilitating full integration in the host society for the beneficiaries. The constant sharing of know how will transpire in the development and dissemination of best practices on the potential of social enterprises in fostering active integration of victims of human trafficking, while the co-created products will raise awareness about the initiative among the wider public. (1906)