Sotsiaalsete Ettevõtete Võrgustik

29/03/2026

It’s the last chance to apply to Impact Hackathon! 👇

🚀 Transform your social enterprise idea into reality with Impact Hackathon! 🚀

Calling all changemakers in Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands, or Luxembourg!

Are you ready to start your entrepreneurship story? Join our two-week virtual Impact Hackathon and transform your idea into reality.

🤔 WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? 🤔
💡 Dedicated Mentoring: Get paired with experienced mentors who will guide you throughout the two hands-on weeks.
💪 Skill-Building Workshops: Participate in workshops covering crucial aspects of social entrepreneurship, from crafting a business plan and conducting market research to mastering marketing, sales, and pitching.
🤝 Networking Opportunities: Connect with experts and fellow social entrepreneurs. Learn from their experiences, gain insights, and build meaningful connections within the social entrepreneurship community.

🗒️ WHEN: 6 April to 17 April
📌 WHERE: Online via Zoom
✔️ APPLY TODAY (29 March): https://forms.gle/swpKtDtToL7pEAXR9

Ready to create a meaningful impact? ☀️ Learn more about the Impact Hackathon and be part of a community dedicated to driving positive change: https://kell.ee/impact-hackathon/

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Impact Hackathon is organised by The European Social Innovation Alliance. The lead partner is Sustainable Business Estonia, with co-organisers being the social innovation competence centres of Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Impact Hackathon is co-funded by the European Union as part of the ESF+ Social Innovation+ Initiative.

19/03/2026

🚀 Transform your social enterprise idea into reality with Impact Hackathon! 🚀

Calling all changemakers in Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands, or Luxembourg! Are you ready to start your entrepreneurship story? Join our two-week virtual Impact Hackathon and transform your idea into reality.

🤔 WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? 🤔
💡 Dedicated Mentoring: Get paired with experienced mentors who will guide you throughout the two hands-on weeks.
💪 Skill-Building Workshops: Participate in workshops covering crucial aspects of social entrepreneurship, from crafting a business plan and conducting market research to mastering marketing, sales, and pitching.
🤝 Networking Opportunities: Connect with experts and fellow social entrepreneurs. Learn from their experiences, gain insights, and build meaningful connections within the social entrepreneurship community.

🗒️ WHEN: 6 April to 17 April
📌 WHERE: Online via Zoom
✔️ APPLY NOW UNTIL 29 MARCH: https://forms.gle/swpKtDtToL7pEAXR9

Ready to create a meaningful impact? ☀️ Learn more about the Impact Hackathon and be part of a community dedicated to driving positive change: https://kell.ee/impact-hackathon/

https://www.facebook.com/events/1336903441529917?active_tab=about

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Impact Hackathon is organised by The European Social Innovation Alliance. The lead partner is Sustainable Business Estonia, with co-organisers being the social innovation competence centres of Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Impact Hackathon is co-funded by the European Union as part of the ESF+ Social Innovation+ Initiative.

Do you have an idea for a social enterprise that you’ve been itching to turn into reality? Then this hackathon is just for you!

02/09/2025

👋 Meet Baltic Sea Impact Network members 👉 Laimes bļoda, a social enterprise offering warm grain sessions that help reduce stress and support the emotional well-being of children and adolescents.

Inese, one of the founders, shares: "With over 30 years in the social sector, I’ve worked with children facing severe developmental challenges and families in crisis. I saw how chronic stress blocks learning, damages health, and strains relationships. My goal was to reduce that stress early - before it turns into a crisis."

Held in a device filled with warm grains, sessions are led by certified specialists and involve the child and their parents. These calming, sensory experiences improve sleep, reduce anxiety, and enhance communication skills.

📍 Available in 38 locations across Latvia

📊 After just 4 sessions, 70% of children report less tension, better adaptability, and improved emotional balance.
Founded in 2020 by Inese Grīnvalde and Agita Akmentiņa, the idea began as a support service - but growing demand led to the development of a warm grain device. It’s now used widely and continues to be improved.

👵 A new version for seniors is currently being piloted in care centers.

🌍 Plans are underway to expand to schools, kindergartens, and even international markets.

💡 Inese’s advice for those at the start of their journey? “Don’t try to do everything on your own. Build a team you trust - people who can support you and grow with you. Together, you’ll be stronger, more effective, and able to create meaningful, sustainable results.”

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🌐 Laimes Bļoda is a member of the Baltic Sea Impact Network, a peer-learning network gathering social entrepreneurs from Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, and Ukraine, supported by the Swedish Institute.

29/08/2025

Strengthening communities through open dialogue
The Estonian Dialogue Academy was started by Bart Cosijn in 2023 with the goal of helping people become better communicators. He believes dialogue is a form of shared responsibility. 🗣️

💬 “We should support each other, ask questions and discuss topics that matter to us. This will make democracy more interactive and stronger.”

🌱 What began with a single elective course at the Open School in Tallinn, has expanded into a growing initiative offering training in dialogue, critical thinking, and empathic leadership - along with youth programmes, public events, and consultancy services.

🚀 This year, thanks to their first successful fundraising effort, they’ve launched their biggest project yet: the Youth Dialogue Lab. Over the next year, 30 young people from Estonian, Russian-Estonian, and Ukrainian backgrounds will come together to strengthen their dialogue skills, meet with decision-makers, and organise their own public dialogue.

📈 Biggest challenge? Building a stable and financially healthy organisation. After an early phase of saying “yes” to everything, they’re now learning to focus and grow with intention - with the help of partners and fellow NGOs.

💡 Bart’s advice for others starting out: “You are your own most important driving force. Stay close to your vision. It’s what connects you with others who share your values. Test your ideas, involve people, and ask for feedback.”

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🌐 The Estonian Dialogue Academy is a member of the Baltic Sea Impact Network, a peer-learning network gathering social entrepreneurs from Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, and Ukraine, supported by the Swedish Institute

05/08/2025

🎲 Game that breaks barriers and brings people together

What started as a simple school assignment turned into something much bigger. 2.5 years ago, founders Damir and Eligijus from Lithuania, then classmates, were tasked with creating a board game. Neither were particularly interested in board games, making the assignment feel uninspiring - until they asked: “What if we created something we’ve never seen before?”

💡 That question sparked the idea for Brailing - a game adapted for people with disabilities, especially the blind. Braille, being a universal language, opened the door to creating a game that could scale internationally while solving a real problem.

🤝 A visit to a local center for the blind revealed that many had never enjoyed a board game with others, which solidified their mission.

What have they achieved so far?

🎯 Started manufacturing 1,500 Brailing games this year - marking the shift from prototype to product.

🏆 Represented Lithuania at Gen-E 2023, Europe’s biggest youth entrepreneurship competition, earning 2nd place.

🎁 Their most meaningful achievement: Raised enough support from companies and philanthropic organizations in just four months to donate over 200 games to the Lithuanian blind community.

💵 Their biggest challenge was financing the first production run. With no funding opportunities available, they launched pre-sales with only a sample. “It was very hard - much harder than we expected. We didn’t just realise we could fail - we literally lived with the full assurance that failure was inevitable.”

💪 Their advice for aspiring social entrepreneurs: “Only start if you truly believe in your idea. That way, work won’t feel like work, but a meaningful mission - worth fighting for even if you eventually lose.”

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🌐 Brailing is a member of the Baltic Sea Impact Network, a peer-learning network gathering social entrepreneurs from Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, and Ukraine, supported by the Swedish Institute.

28/07/2025

✈️ Summer is a great time for travelling, and for the Baltic Sea Impact Network members, that means more than just sightseeing. The BSIN mobility offers a unique chance to learn from each other and co-create across borders.

This June, Natalia Leguisamo (TinkerClub 🇸🇪) went to visit Iris Koristin (Eratunnid 🇪🇪) and Ülle Frey (Animakool 🇪🇪) in Tallinn. During the visit, Natalia joined one of Iris' classes, explored the differences between the Swedish and Estonian educational systems, and exchanged strategies for working with schools.

💬 “We talked about our journeys and experiences as entrepreneurs, how we both started from zero and built successful enterprises without external investments,” Natalia shared.
While in Tallinn, Natalia also visited Animakool, where she met with teachers, explored classrooms and labs, and learned about the tools used.

🎨 “We found many similarities between our workshops and how we think children should learn by doing, through play, and developing creativity and problem solving.”
At both Eratunnid and Animakool, potential for future collaboration was identified. Natalia brought along her STEAM kits, which both organizations plan to test with their students.
The following week, Iris visited Natalia in Stockholm. She had already introduced the TinkerClub kits to Eratunnid teachers and was able to share valuable feedback. Now, the two are co-planning a small workshop for Estonian students this autumn to inspire interest in engineering.

🌐 “Learning about other experiences and contexts helps me expand my horizons and imagine possible international partnerships,” Natalia says.
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🤝 Baltic Sea Impact Network is done with the support of the Swedish Institute and in partnership between Reach for Change Sweden, Reach for Change Latvia, Social Enterprise Estonia, Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia, and the Lithuanian Social Business Association.