Social Firms Europe CEFEC

11/09/2026

🤩 Get inspired by effective European employment models and hear directly from the innovators behind them how they have created new pathways into working life💡.

Join the October webinar series, developed by Yhteiskunnallisten yritysten osaamiskeskus YYO, to explore practical examples of regional employment solutions and circular economy initiatives that support inclusive employment.

📅 Time:
1 October 2026, 13:00-14:30 (EET)
European Examples of Regional Solutions

29 October 2026, 13:00-14:30 (EET)
European Examples of Reuse Solutions

📍 Place: Teams

Register now 👇 ! https://yyo.fi/.../webinaarisarja-eurooppalaiset.../

🤩 Get inspired by effective European employment models and hear directly from the innovators behind them how they have created new pathways into working life💡. Join our October webinar series to explore practical examples of regional employment solutions and circular economy initiatives that support inclusive employment.

📅 Time: 1.10.2026 klo 13–14.30 and 29.10.2026 klo 13–14.30

📍 Place: Teams

Register now 👇 ! https://yyo.fi/tapahtumat-ja-koulutukset/webinaarisarja-eurooppalaiset-tyollistamisen-mallit/

09/09/2026

🌍 Peer Expertise Across Three Continents – Eucoms Network Webinar

How can lived experience become a real force for change in mental health services?

Join the upcoming EUCOMS webinar, co-organised with Habitus Collective, for an inspiring international conversation on peer leadership and lived-experience expertise across three different mental health systems: Canada, the Netherlands and Japan.

📅 30 September 2026
🕗 19:00–20:30 CET
💻 Online – Zoom

The webinar will bring together three inspiring speakers:

🇨🇦 Anita David – From Ideas to Action: Considerations for Engaging People with Lived and Living Experience
🇯🇵 Yoshiko Ohno – Across the Roles of Service User, Mental Health Professional and Peer Researcher in Japan
🇳🇱 Nathalie Lapré – Planting Seeds: Developing Peer Workers Through the “Talent Garden”

Grounded in the Heiloo Declaration and the position paper “Shared Power, Shared Recovery: The Promise of Lived-Experience Peer Leadership,” the discussion will explore how peer expertise can move beyond symbolic participation and become structurally embedded in recovery-oriented, community-based mental health care.

💡 A valuable opportunity to learn across countries, exchange perspectives and hear directly from people who are helping reshape mental health systems through lived experience.

👉 Register and join the conversation: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_m6B5iUq_RPa4s6yifnv2SA

08/09/2026

Working Group 1 is getting back to work! 🌍🤝
Our members involved in CEFEC Working Group 1 (International Projects) are back in action after the summer break!
It was great to meet again, reconnect and exchange ideas as we discussed the next steps and priorities for our work.

A new season of cooperation, ideas and activities is underway - and we’re looking forward to everything we can achieve together! 💬✨

Stay tuned for what’s coming next!

07/09/2026

Yesterday (07.09.2026), our Polish member Zachodniopomorski Uniwersytet Ludowy(ZUL) organised Folkowisko - a vibrant celebration of folk culture, music, tradition and community. 🇵🇱

The event was connected with the Festival of Folk High Schools from across Poland, bringing together Folk High Schools, their members and communities from different parts of the country. 🇵🇱 It was a wonderful opportunity to meet, exchange experiences, share traditions and celebrate the role of Folk High Schools in strengthening local communities and lifelong learning.

Folkowisko was filled with music, activities, conversations and shared experiences, creating a warm space for people of different generations and backgrounds to come together. 🌾🎶

18/08/2026

🤩 We are happy to share with you the Report of the 6th SFE CEFEC Academy, which was held in Bled, Slovenia, between 1–5 June 2026 🇸🇮

This year's edition of the Academy was organized within the Erasmus+ project Green Leaders, bringing together 20 participants from across Europe.

During the Academy, participants developed their own social enterprise ideas and presented their projects to the SFE CEFEC Executive Committee.

📖 Check out the full Report on our website and discover the highlights of the 6th SFE CEFEC Academy! https://socialfirmseurope.eu/projects-3/sfe-cefec-academy/

17/08/2026

🌱 From 1 to 5 June 2026, 18 participants from five partner organisations — GPE Germany, CPU Slovenia, ACDC Romania, DMLAS Italy and CEFEC — came together for another edition of the Green Leaders Academy.

Over the course of the Academy, they exchanged ideas, inspired one another and explored how green initiatives can create positive change not only for the environment, but also for people and communities. 💡

🤝 What makes the Green Leaders Academy special is the opportunity to bring together young people from different countries and backgrounds, creating connections that go beyond the training itself and can inspire action in their own communities.

We are proud to see this international group continue to grow, learn from one another and turn shared values into ideas with the potential to make a real difference. 🌍

05/08/2026

During the period 30 July - 4 August, Felicitas Kresimon, General Secretary of SFE CEFEC, visited the Social Firms Europe CEFEC Secretariat in Romania 🇷🇴

The visit was a valuable opportunity to strengthen collaboration, exchange ideas, and connect with our members and partners.

🏨 Together with Petru Vasile Gafiuc, President of Organizatia Institutul Bucovina & Development Manager of SFE CEFEC, and Alina Birsan, Operational Manager of SFE CEFEC, the team visited the Suceava General Hospital, where they learned more about the institution's work and explored opportunities for future cooperation.

📌 These days programme included as well meeting with our member from Republic of Moldova, AO AREAP providing an opportunity to discuss ongoing activities and share experiences.

🤩 Also, the CEFEC Secretariat team had the great opportunity to meet the beneficiaries from OAZA, a protected housing facility located in the village of Brânzeni, Edineț District, managed by AREAP. The centre provides accommodation and social inclusion services for people with disabilities and represents a successful community-based initiative dedicated to supporting independent living and social integration.

By sharing knowledge, building relationships, and exploring new opportunities for cooperation, SFE CEFEC continues to strengthen its European network and support initiatives.

04/08/2026

Thank you Alina Birsan for your significant contribuition for community of Bucovina Institute!

20/07/2026

Congratulations to our member AREAP from Repunlic of Moldova!

16/07/2026

Thank you too Claudia Rustige and her team for the great cooperation at european level! Thank you Klaus Meyer zu Brickwedde for representativity of the sector and great professional work!

Eine Ära geht zu Ende: Nach elf Jahren als Geschäftsführerin der bag if ist Claudia Rustige seit dem 01.07. im Ruhestand.

Seit 2015 leitete sie die Geschäftsführung der bag if, zuvor hatte sie sich bereits lange im Vorstand engagiert. Mit ihrem tiefgehenden Fachwissen, ihrer klaren Haltung und ihrer Durchsetzungskraft hat sie die bag if professionalisiert, sichtbarer und schlagkräftiger gemacht. Politische Rahmenbedingungen für Inklusionsunternehmen hat sie maßgeblich mitgestaltet und bedeutende Förderinstrumente mit auf den Weg gebracht.

Mit einem großen Netzwerk zu wichtigen Partnern, direkten Kontakten zu den Inklusionsunternehmen und Wertschätzung für deren Arbeit hat Claudia Rustige die bag if zu einer wichtigen Stimme gemacht.

Die gesamte Geschäftsstelle bedankt sich bei Claudia Rustige für ihren großartigen Einsatz für Inklusionsunternehmen und wünscht ihr alles Gute!