Development of an Inclusive Entrepreneurship Ecosystem for Young People with Intellectual Disability Erasmus Project

Project Title

Development of an Inclusive Entrepreneurship Ecosystem for Young People with Intellectual Disability

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

The INCLUDNET project (Development of Inclusive Entrepreneurship Ecosystem for Young People with Intellectual Disability) aims at fostering social and labour inclusion of young people with intellectual disability through the provision of entrepreneurship education and access to entrepreneurship and self-employment. Young people with Intellectual disability are subject to employers discrimination thus self-employment or entrepreneurship remains for many the only option for labour inclusion. Even if this is the reality in all the European Member States there is still not yet any inclusive entrepreneurship policy or entrepreneurship education for this category of young people. The INCLUDNET partnership will for the first time develop an accessible easy to read training programme on entrepreneurship for young people with Intellectual disability and will establish business support network that will provide them with couching and mentoring services.

Inclusive Entrepreneurship programs aim to offer all people an equal opportunity to create a sustainable business whatever is their social group or background thus are an important requirement for achieving smart sustainable and inclusive growth.
Five different European countries will participate in the INCLUDNET project and will exchange knowledge and best practices on inclusive entrepreneurship programs for young people with intellectual disability.

The INCLUDNET project will:
• Develop a sustainable ecosystem of inclusive entrepreneurship for young people with intellectual disability
• Enable users to be equal partners within the planning and development of the training program, thus enhancing self-determination;
• Provide opportunities for self-development and employment inclusion for young people with intellectual disabilities so that they can be acknowledged as people that can contribute to the development of their community.
• Test dedicated pilot actions of inclusive enterprises
• Evaluate the impacts of the entrepreneurial process on the quality of life of the users as well as the overall impacts of the project in terms of social inclusion
• Promote the development, testing, and implementation of innovative practices in the field of youth participation in the labour market
• Promote activities that could better prepare young people on equity, diversity and social inclusion in the training / learning environment.

The INCLUDNET project is innovative in the following way:
• It will establish a transnational business support network for young people with intellectual disabilities
• It will implement the Social Safari methodology within the training/learning activities
• It will develop an easy to read learning platform on how to become an entrepreneur
• It will offer mentoring services for young entrepreneurs with intellectual disability

The INCLUDNET project will directly and indirectly contribute to better fulfillment of the following rights enshrined in the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy including the freedom to make one’s own choices, and independence of persons; (art 3 a- General Principals Art 3 UN CRPD )
• Full and effective participation and inclusion in society ( art 3 c)
• Respect for difference and acceptance of persons with disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity (Art 3 (d))
• Will promote recognition of the skills, merits and abilities of young people with disabilities, and of their contributions to the workplace and the labour market ( Raising awareness Art 8 (iii) UN CRPD
• Will promote the design, development, production and distribution of accessible information and communications ( Accessibility of Information art 9 UN CRPD)
• Provide information disabilities in accessible formats and technologies appropriate to different kinds of disabilities (Freedom of expression and opinion and access of information art 21 UN CRPD )
• Ensure that young people with disabilities are able to access, vocational training, adult education and lifelong learning without discrimination and on an equal basis with others (art 24 UN CRPD education)
• Promote opportunities for self-employment, entrepreneurship, the development of cooperatives and starting one’s own business (art 27)

The project is in line with the following objectives and priorities of the European Union

• Erasmus plus- Youth Agenda
• Social Business Initiative
• Research programme on social innovation by DG Research & Innovation
• EaSI programme of DG Employment, Social affairs and Inclusion
• Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion

Project Website

https://co-production.eu/the-project/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 118310 Eur

Project Coordinator

Cooperativa Assistenza Disabili infermi Anziani Infanzia & Country: IT

Project Partners

• amadip.esment fundación
• C.E.C.D. MIRA SINTRA – CENTRO DE EDUCACAO PARA O CIDADAO COM DEFICIENCIA CRL
• Association de Recherche et de Formation sur l’Insertion en Europe
• FUNDACIO AMPANS
• ERGASTIRI EIDIKIS AGOGIS MARGARITA