On 12 December, Aula Empresocial, managed by the Faculty of Law at the Universitat de València, hold a new event focused on Social Economics at the Faculty of Law at the Universitat de València. The conferences were aimed at students of the Degree in Business Management, and they were intended to teach the advantages and differences that Social Economics brings to society, considering an alternative reality in which cooperation and sustainable development play a leading role.

The event was very comprehensive, including conferences that tackled basic topics on how to create cooperatives and other entrepeneurial companies, with a conference presented by Pilar Alguacil, Professor of Tax Law by the UVEG; along with lectures explaining the meaning of Social Economics and its characteristics, with a conference presented by Antonia Sajardo, Professor of Applied Economics at the UVEG; and a round table of experiences in which Helga Figueroa, CEO of Koira Adiestramiento Canino, shared with the attendees her business progress applying Social Economics; moreover, Salvador Pérez Mans, from al Terra, who explained the same process applied to a public company. Antonio Alegre, Professor on Labour Law at the UV, was also there, and he explained briefly the process a freelancer must follow to undertake in Social Economics. The workshop, which was funded by the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy (MITES), featured active participation from the attendees during the whole event, in which, apart from the businesswoman’s accounts of how Social Economy is implemented within her companies, there was a practical activity for students, where the knowledge they had acquired about the Chair was evaluated.

Social Economy fosters the principles of solidarity and cooperation, including companies, cooperatives, and non-profit organisations that prioritise social and environmental well-being over economic profit. Its relevance arises out of its ability to promote social inclusion, provide sustainable employment, and foster community development. Since they are focused on the people and the planet, these entities contribute to reduce inequalities and to construct a more fair and balanced economy. In a world more and more unequal, social economy represents an alternative model that gives priority to common good and long-term sustainability. Consequently, Aula Empresocial realises the importance of conducting these type of events aimed at high school and vocational training students that will join the labour market in the future.