Social innovation initiatives have been launched in many countries to find solutions to local challenges involving migrants, refugees and host communities in social entrepreneurship ventures.

Numerous programs empower young people to identify challenges in their communities and to create entrepreneurial solutions to address these barriers. Through a combination of training, mentorship and in some cases seed funding, youth learn transferable skills to become social innovators and entrepreneurs.

Some examples of these programs (see links below) are:

- UPSHIFT, a project by UNICEF launced in Kosovo in 2014 and expanding to 22 countries as of 2019. The 'recipe’ for UPSHIFT looks different in each country, depending on identified needs, but focuses generally on 4 different areas: (1) Building of transferable skills, including problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication and leadership skills; (2) Adolescent and youth empowerment, including confidence, resilience, and sense of agency; (3) Civic engagement, with young people engaging in their communities and earning respect; (4) Entrepreneurship, as both a skillset and a mindset.

-  The European Social Innovation Competition, which has encourage numerous Social Innovation programs in Europe, focusing on a variety of different issues (including homelessness and housing, farming, environmental protection, and assisting persons with disabilities).

- The Social Innovation Community, active from 2016-2019, sought to help deepen the knowledge and capacity of the networks to act and grow, and to support public decision-makers and other stakeholders to work with social innovators more effectively in solving public challenges.