ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the second model of the Empowering SBH Matrix: Open Creation Empowerment. Like the Safe Creation model, it targets people who are potentially able to work but are excluded from the labor market due to a lack of basic skills or a lack of self-awareness of their value and agency. However, the distinguishing feature of this model lies in the context of enablement: empowerment unfolds within open reconnection spaces – physical or virtual environments that are integrated into the public sphere and allow interaction with society. These spaces promote social reintegration by offering beneficiaries visibility, recognition, and a renewed civic identity. Unlike protected safe spaces, open reconnection spaces aim not to shield from hostility but to foster connection and participation. This chapter examines how Empowering SBHs activate economic capabilities in such spaces by implementing inclusive business models that are sensitive to beneficiaries' vulnerabilities and focused on unlocking their potential. The model thus balances exposure and autonomy, ensuring that the reconnection process is empowering rather than overwhelming. It emphasizes the importance of creating conditions in which visibility becomes a source of empowerment, not further marginalization.
