EYE Success Story – Cristiano Lopes

Introduction
Cristiano, an emerging entrepreneur in the arts sector, joined the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme to gain practical experience in social entrepreneurship and governance abroad. Inspired by a friend’s positive experience, he saw the programme as a unique opportunity to explore how organisations operate in a different cultural and economic context, particularly in Brussels, a city known for its arts and social innovation scene.

While researching host organisations, Cristiano discovered Communa ASBL and was immediately drawn to its mission, values, and impact in the field of temporary social occupation. He contacted Maxime Zaït, co-founder of Communa, and they clicked immediately, having the same vision and goals for sustainability in the city. He felt aligned with social and cultural initiatives but lacked hands-on knowledge of governance and how to organise and manage an association of this scale without relying on traditional hierarchical models.

Activities undertaken
During the exchange, Cristiano actively engaged in the organisation’s strategic and operational processes. He learned how the organisation functions through a shared governance model, gaining insight into collective decision-making systems that remain efficient while staying aligned with social values.

Cristiano contributed by developing a governance manual to help structure internal processes. He also created pitch decks aimed at potential investors and partners, supporting Communa’s sustainability efforts. In addition, he followed the full development pipeline of new partnerships and projects of temporary social occupation, from early-stage concepts to implementation and stakeholder coordination.