Client: SMARTIES for SMEs is a transnational project to improve the competitiveness of SMEs in the EU Mediterranean region. It’s co-funded by the European Union and ACIF
Duration: 12 months
Beneficiaries: Local Madeiran community and skilled international participants—primarily digital nomads, but also expats, remote workers, and longer-stay tourists
The challenge
Madeira is an island located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Isolated from the rest of Europe, yet deeply rooted in its Portuguese culture, the island, with its vast natural landscapes alongside its social and economic challenges, provides a unique testing ground for entrepreneurs who wish to start impact-related businesses and projects.
Beyond the financial challenges, there was no association or initiative addressing the need for social entrepreneurs to ideate and implement projects that responded to the real challenges faced on the island.
Our solution
We designed and delivered the Madeira Impact Collective Ideator Program as a hands-on Impact Entrepreneurship programme combining training, stakeholder engagement, and community-building to support local and international changemakers developing projects rooted in the realities of Madeira.
The programme aimed to bridge the gap between ideas and implementation by embedding participants within a collaborative local ecosystem and creating opportunities for exchange with stakeholders from across the island.
The initiative included:
- A co-design session with local stakeholders to identify key social, environmental, and economic challenge areas relevant to Madeira, alongside a recruitment and selection process for 13 local and international participants.
- A public kick-off event where hosts shared examples of social and environmental initiatives from different parts of the world, as well as regional ecosystem insights and data collected from local actors across Madeira.
- Collaborative exchanges between participants and stakeholders from different sectors and areas of expertise, helping identify and further define the key challenges to be explored throughout the programme.
- A structured five-week training phase covering topics such as Theory of Change, Internal Development Goals (IDGs), and business planning, combining conceptual frameworks with practical application to support participants in developing their pilot projects.
- Social and cultural activities were designed to strengthen trust, collaboration, and cross-cultural exchange between local and international participants, while also creating opportunities to engage with local impact projects and community associations.
- Open monthly capacity-building sessions following the initial training phase, with topics selected by participants themselves in response to their evolving needs and project challenges.
- A final showcase session where five participants presented their pilot projects and received feedback and input from local stakeholders to further refine their approaches and explore next steps for implementation.
Our team played a central role in facilitating this journey:
Nadia Laabs coordinated the programme from design to delivery, facilitated sessions, and supported participants throughout the development of their projects. She also acted as a bridge between entrepreneurs, stakeholders, and opportunities across the island, while overseeing partnerships, operations, and programme coherence.
Sandra Gouveia supported communications, stakeholder engagement, and programme operations throughout the initiative. She coordinated events and engagement activities, helping maintain strong connections between participants, partners, and local actors across the programme.
António Teixeira focused on ecosystem and stakeholder development, building relationships across Madeira and supporting participants in accessing networks, partnerships, and collaboration opportunities. He also contributed to the strategic direction and operational delivery of the initiative.
Visa Viren facilitated the Internal Development Goals (IDG) component of the programme, guiding participants through reflection and inner development processes connected to impact entrepreneurship. His sessions supported participants in strengthening collaboration, adaptability, and self-awareness throughout their project journeys.
The result:
- Five pilot projects focusing on agricultural cooperation, healthy food systems, regenerative tourism, textile waste upcycling, and men’s mental health were presented during the programme’s closing event.
- Two participants established collaborations with a local stakeholder to further develop and explore the implementation of their initiatives on the island.
- Strengthened connections between Madeiran impact entrepreneurs, local organisations, and ecosystem supporters, creating new opportunities for collaboration and continued exchange beyond the programme itself.
Testimonials:
“The program was a great networking opportunity for us. From the people we met, we now actively working with at least 2 institutions.”
“In my opinion, the most striking aspect was the strong sense of community felt among participants, as well as the multidisciplinary knowledge that enriched the whole experience.”
“Breaking down into stages and working on the idea with others creates momentum and accountability.”
“The various events and workshops had a significant impact and led us to work more as a community.”
“I believe it was a sense of belonging to a group of changemakers, trying to face the hardships of Madeiran’s scenarios and cultural context, in order to create value to the society. It feels like it is a small group, but we are not alone.”
“When starting the programme I had a big vision of creating a health centre – a mix of community garden, retreat centre and living together, focussed on health, wellbeing and regeneration. The programme helped me to reflect on which parts are more important or easier to start with. And also to reflect my intention and motivation behind these dreams. The highest impact for me was to see an entry point to go forward.”
“All the conversations, all the different backgrounds, the different and sometimes similar perspectives about so many issues was extremely enriching at so many levels for me.”
“The most positive part for me was the community building. Specifically like-minded people, that are initiators, big-picture viewers and motivated to put their energy to good use, all getting together to solve common problems. I’ll take friendships and contacts with me that I wouldn’t otherwise manage to get. Also […] the opportunity to talk directly to leaders and specialists in certain areas. Having my questions answered by the authority in the matter meant a great deal to me.”
Our superheroes:
Sandra Gouveia
Antonio Teixeira
Visa Viren