Plans presented for the sixth year of the KoopFabrika project
Plans presented for the sixth year of the KoopFabrika project
Plans presented for the sixth year of the KoopFabrika project
The program promotes a transformative social economy and social entrepreneurship. The presentation ceremony took place at Teila Fabrika in Donostia.
On October 19, the Teila Fabrika facility in Donostia hosted the presentation of the plans and challenges of the KoopFabrika program for the new academic year. Additionally, the organizations that make up the KoopFabrika ecosystem were announced.
Idoia Telleria Maritxalare directed the event. Although today she had to play the role of host, she has participated in KoopFabrika as an entrepreneur and developed the IDO Photography project. Today she is also a travel companion in KoopFabrika’s journey.
As she explained, KoopFabrika is a project to promote the transformative social economy and social entrepreneurship. It was launched in 2017 and since then, dozens of projects have been initiated that are dedicated in one way or another to the transformation of our society.
First of all, the moderator thanked the people and institutions that make KoopFabrika possible: OlatuKoop, GEZKI (Institute of Social Economics and Cooperative Law of the University of the Basque Country), Mondragon University’s LANKI Institute of Cooperative Studies, and the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, which funds the project.
Supported by the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa
The first to take the floor was Joseba Amondarain Senperena, on behalf of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, which funds KoopFabrika. Amondarain focused his presentation on three questions: “For what purpose? To create a balanced and fair territorial development. What? Among other things, social entrepreneurship: it is a way to achieve our objectives. And how? KoopFabrika is one way to do it. We have brought together many entities, each with its own objectives, to carry out this initiative jointly.”
As he explained, the biggest challenge is that these types of projects should be sustainable, and explained that this is a job for all of us. He added that the Provincial Council will be a travel companion on this journey.
Experience as an entrepreneur and travel companion
Enara Izagirre Arrizabalaga has experienced KoopFabrika in three different roles: as an entrepreneur, as a travel companion and as a member of the Teila Fabrika community.
“I wanted to blaze a trail. I just thought about what it was and then they told me about Iturola. From there I discovered KoopFabrika and it was a way for me to accomplish what I had in mind.” Training and assistance were essential. In addition, she underlined the support she received: “KoopFabrika helped me feel that I was not alone. Without KoopFabrika I don’t know if I would have gone ahead with my idea.”
In that progression, Harago became a member of the consulting group. But not only that: “after three years, I have also become a travel companion. It is a joy to see how we receive new projects and how we can lend them a hand.”
Projects that are about to be released
Then Idoia Garcés Aldazabal took the floor to present a project developed last year in KoopFabrika: Ihitten.
“After lockdown, a group of us met: several women of different ages from Lasarte-Oria, all in the audiovisual field. We shared some concerns, such as the fact that whatever comes up in our country, it’s usually men who are behind the camera. We thought, “What about us? Why don’t we show that we’re there too?”
She explained the process. “After many meetings with different colleagues, we gradually cleared up our questions. We believe in the transformative social economy, which is in line with our values, and we’re feminists. We’re creating a non-profit non-loss association, an association that for some of us can be a professional outlet. At the moment we’re working on drafting the statutes.”
KoopFabrika’s plans for the coming months
Gorka Julio Hurtado explains KoopFabrika’s intentions for the present year. “This is our sixth year. I think we’re preparing a springboard to make a qualitative leap. We will shape the knowledge and methodologies that we’ve been accumulating over the years and prepare them so that we and other people can use them. We have made what was once just a pilot program a reality. Now it’s a question of systematizing it to create something more universal, starting with Gipuzkoa, expanding it throughout the Basque Country and opening it up to the world.
“As always, in the coming months we will offer new training opportunities. The first will take place at Mondragon University on the Eskoriatza campus in November and December, and the second in February and March at Teila Fabrika in Donostia. Coming to Donostia is a commitment for the whole team. The neighborhood of Egia is especially interesting for us because of its history and the type of initiatives that are underway.”
Registration for the project is open online: KoopFabrika.eus.