The “Towards Collaborative Practice” (TCP) Forum is a cross-sector event providing an interactive and dynamic space enabling participants to share experiences, tools, methods, network, and produce innovative ideas and projects. The forum aims to explore the potential of youth work to support social innovation and entrepreneurship, and to advance collaborative practice inside the social entrepreneurship ecosystem.

The TCP 2018 Forum in Budapest is a follow-up of the three previous TCP Forums from 2015, 2016 and 2017 (Sweden, Italy and UK).

One of the most important conclusions of the forums is that cross-sector collaborative practice is indeed the key to successful, sustainable and innovative entrepreneurial projects. We believe that the youth work sector needs more examples of social innovation and entrepreneurship practice, projects, success stories/failures, methods and tools to familiarize itself with these concepts, learn from previous experiences and improve the quality of its projects.

The event is an eminently dynamic and interactive platform, where participants will be given the floor to give and receive information and inspiration.

The Forum will be a laboratory of ideas, methods and tools where experienced people, who work in the field of entrepreneurial learning/social entrepreneurship/ social innovation, will interact with participants on how to make their innovative projects sustainable.

Participants will be able to network and initiate international cooperation projects within the youth sector and beyond.

The wider aim of the event is to build a European network of projects, ideas and experiences of social innovation and entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on Erasmus+ opportunities. The forum will be an opportunity to discuss future pathways for social innovation and entrepreneurship, explore new opportunities and build a platform for cooperation on innovative projects and initiatives.

Aim and approach of the TCP Project
The aim of the TCP project is to build an international network of like-minded people, projects, ideas and experiences of social entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on Erasmus+ opportunities.

The TCP Forum is an opportunity to discuss future pathways for social entrepreneurship, explore new opportunities and build a cross-sectoral platform for cooperation on innovative projects and initiatives.

The upcoming Forum will be a meeting and exchange, encouraging cross-sectoral collaboration and partnership building between Erasmus+ formal and non-formal sectors as well as (social) business on everything related to social entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial learning, with a particular focus on environment and ecology.

Based on non-formal learning approaches which encourage your active participation with room for sharing good practice and expressing yourself, the forum will be an exciting mix of expert inputs, interactive workshops, group coaching sessions, field visits and many more.

A novelty of this edition of the TCP Forum is the introduction of the group coaching method. This approach will offer participants unlimited opportunities to discover the social entrepreneur in them. Professional group coaches will support the real individual development with the help of others on given topics will be appearing on the conference in the moment by you.

Objectives of the TCP 2018 Forum Budapest: 
1. Encourage cross-sectoral collaboration and partnership building among the actors of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem.
2. Raise awareness of and promote the environmental dimension of social entrepreneurship.
3. Offer an opportunity for networking and sharing ideas, tools, methods, challenges and good practices.
4. Use social enterprise as a way to encourage and enable young people to sustain their entrepreneurial life skills.
5. Encourage creativity, innovation, participation, diversity and social inclusion of young people.
6. Provide information on Erasmus+ and other opportunities to foster social entrepreneurship.

This edition of the Forum will bring together delegates from more than 40 countries from the EU, Western Balkans, South Mediterranean and Eastern Partnership countries, as well as from Québec Canada and the US.

Venue and duration:
The event will take place at the European Youth Centre (EYCB) in Budapest Hungary, from 28 to 30 November 2018 (three full working days). Participants will need to arrive on 27 November in the afternoon and depart in the morning of 1 December.

Eco-friendly event:
The whole event is influenced by its theme, environmental awareness - including site selection, menu compilation, coffee breaks and the materials we use. We believe it is important to show that there is always a way to be an eco-friendly person, community or business.

Professional background of the participants:
Associations of cooperatives; employment, entrepreneurship and social innovation support services (Chambers of Commerce, incubators, accelerators, banks, social venture capitalists etc.); formal education representatives; foundations; local and regional administration representatives; policy-makers; researchers; (social) entrepreneurs; youth workers.