Entrepreneurship
Themes: Social enterprise, entrepreneurship
Cross-cutting themes covered: Enterprise and education
Name of project: Campus Nieuw West (Campus New West, CNW)
City: Amsterdam
What is it? Campus Nieuw West (CNW) promotes entrepreneurship among young people between the ages of eight and 16, offering them the opportunity to acquire new skills and work experience by linking up with local businesses in the surrounding area. Moreover, the ‘social enterprise approach’ is seen as a model for the future development and sustainability of this initiative.
Who is it? CNW was founded in June 2003 by five organisations:
At present, over 35 companies and organisations are members of CNW. Participating companies contribute to CNW projects both financially and by offering mentoring, coaching or work placements.
Where is it? The Amsterdam Nieuw West area is the city’s most deprived neighbourhood and the site for major regeneration and rebuilding activities. Around half of the houses in the area are being rebuilt or renovated. This area of the city suffers from high levels of long-term unemployment, low incomes and low average educational attainment levels. Traditionally, there are few extra-curricular facilities or activities for young people in the area.
Who funds it?
How does it work? Promoting entrepreneurship among young people: CNW brings the world of business closer to young people, many of whom have grown up in deprived neighbourhoods where long-term unemployment is common. The organisation offers young people a range of projects that help to build skills and aspirations:
Promoting local partnership working: Enhancing the engagement of local stakeholders in its projects, by building a network of partners in both the profit and not-for-profit sectors, has been key to the CNW approach.
What are the results?
Is it successful? One of the most successful elements of the CNW is that new projects are initiated by coalitions of local stakeholders that did not co-operate in the past. Projects also tend to be tailored to the specific situation of the target area.
The social enterprise approach……CNW received public sector funding for the first three years of its existence. It aims to be self-sufficient in three years’ time, with income generated from schools, local institutions and participating companies, developing into a social enterprise.
CNW now positions itself as a ‘matchmaker’, selecting and matching project ideas (such as those described above) with different employers, schools and other local institutions. Large employers, such as the ABN AMRO bank and KPMG, as well as schools and other organisations, are prepared to fund the services provided by CNW. Many large companies also provide mentors for the project.
Is the model transferable ? Many of the elements of the project are transferable to other areas, as long as there is strong partnership working between public and private sector agencies. The concept behind the Campus Nieuw West project, linking young people with local employers and supporting the development of role models and entrepreneurship skills, can be readily and successfully applied elsewhere.
Building on local competitive advantages? The Campus Nieuw West Project has benefited from the willingness of the five founding organisations to provide the finance for the first three years. Finding the necessary finance to start-up the project could pose a barrier to transferability elsewhere.
What are the barriers to transferability? Lack of finance to get the initiative up-and-running would be a significant barrier to transferability.
