CRIES

Resource Centre for Ethical and Solidarity Initiatives

The CRIES Association – Resource Centre for Ethical and Solidarity Initiatives was born in 2009 as a result of the implementation of the pilot project Territories of Co-responsibility, developed by the Council of Europe in partnership with the Municipality of Timisoara, the Municipality of Mulhouse and other territorial actors in Trento and Paris.

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The organisation aims to promote a sustainable economy by facilitating the development in Romania of several pilot initiatives in the field of social and solidarity economy. Thus, CRIES has developed as a resource centre for the social and solidarity economy, with participatory democracy, community-supported agriculture, fair trade, social enterprises, responsible consumption and ethical financing as its main areas of action.

CRIES is a certified Work integration social enterprise and member or RISE Romania

The economic activity carried out includes a wide range of activities, including:

• Training in the social and solidarity economy – organising training programmes, information workshops, study visits and mentoring for social entrepreneurs, teachers, staff from non-governmental organisations and public institutions.
• Education for responsible consumption – implementing programmes in high schools and universities to promote responsible consumption, fair trade and sustainable development among young people. More than 3,000 young people participated in the educational activities organised;
• Research and production of specialised materials – production of research and resource materials on social & solidarity economy, responsible consumption, fair trade, ethical financing, such as studies, guides, brochures, manuals, films. Some of the materials produced include: Be part of CSA! Guide to Community Supported Agriculture (2016), Social Economy for Youth (2018), Guide to Responsible Cultural Events (2018), Handbook for Promoting Responsible Consumption (2018);
• Advocacy and networking – participation in local, national and international advocacy campaigns on social economy, fair trade and community supported agriculture.