From March until May 2016 students following “Management and Innovation for the Social and Non-profit” at the University of Brussels (VUB) participated in a couple of workshops on social entrepreneurship led by Bart Beullens and Glenn Vermeiren, teachers business management at CVO Antwerpen.

In June 2016 a jury of local social entrepreneurs took a look at their innovative social business ideas resulting in the following top 3 award winners:

1. Melting Pot by Anna Nauwelaerts and her team: “We will create a catering company. The asylum seekers will choose a dish from their home country and prepare it. Individuals and companies can contact us and order their multicultural meals.”

2. Schoolderij by Noura El-Jafoufi: “A group of parents or other volunteers collaborate with local producers to distribute locally produced foods at school for parents or people from the neighborhood. In return the producers will offer some of their products for free to the school.”

3. Cosystudying by Sigrid Van Mulders and her team: “Our project focuses on the need of study places for students at high schools and the universities. The idea is that students can study by dwelling retiree older people.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7_X6xisl38)

Anna Nauwelaerts and her team were rewarded with 750 euro and, just like Noura El-Jafoufi and Sigrid Van Mulders, with a ticket to the international competition at Lake Balaton!