SELF EMPLOYED ENTREPRENEURS MEET EXCHANGE GET RESULTS & ORGANIZE WORK Erasmus Project

Project Title

SELF EMPLOYED ENTREPRENEURS MEET EXCHANGE GET RESULTS & ORGANIZE WORK

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship); Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

The Europe 2020 strategy recognises entrepreneurship and self-employment as key for achieving smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Moreover, the top priority of the Commission is “to get Europe growing again and to increase the number of jobs without creating new debt”. This strategy is receiving even more importance nowadays in the COVID-19. Thus, SEE ME GR&OW project will ensure that: 1) existing self – employed (SE) will remain with the same status and will not become unemployed 2) young people will be motivated to work as SEs.
As depicted in this application, despite the fact that SEs are considered as entrepreneurs, the comparison shows that they have fewer benefits and fewer opportunities for development compared to employers and employees. In most countries, unemployment and work injury benefits for the self-employed are less favorable than for standard workers. The SE (particularly the young and women) also often lack the entrepreneurial skills that are crucial for identifying and exploiting new opportunities, while access to entrepreneurship education is rather limited (especially for disadvantaged groups).
The SEE ME GR&OW project has the following objectives:
To combat discrimination, inequality and other forms of exploitation in the workplace.
To learn, through sharing of practices and regulations, the realities in other countries. What kind of opportunities and possibilities do self employed have? What are the risks of being self-employed and what are your benefits?
To create a European network among at least the four organisations who work with youth, advocacy and labor right to ensure the exchange of good practices and support of SE rights.
To foster participants’ knowledge, skills and abilities about entrepreneurship and sound management skills.
To help the participants to develop their soft – skills.
To equip youth workers and youth self – employed with the basic concept and skills of advocacy to be able to create their own intervention.

This project will up-skill youth workers and those who are already self-employed, and freelancers, and provide sound business advice to improve soft skills, management skills and their future prospects for creating a sustainable entrepreneurial practice. Furthermore, the SEE ME GR&OW project will promote an entrepreneurial mindset and culture among young people, networking opportunities for business development, it will cultivate the unique skills of every participant and help them to think outside the box. Moreover, it will create opportunities for exchange of practices and entrepreneurial tips, it will increase their self-confidence, ensure social justice for all workers and entrepreneurs and stimulate the economy.

In addition, through the development of the soft skills of the participants, the project will:
Facilitate effective communication among them, among their colleagues, among their customers, among the governments and among the decision makers.
Improve their problem – solving skills.
Enhance creative and critical thinking through cooperation.
Increase their self – esteem, their self – capacity and reduce their stress.
Facilitate their personal development and career advance.
Increase their overall job satisfaction.

The SEE ME GR&OW project will facilitate intervention at local and international level through advocacy and effective representation of the self – employed in the decision making. As a result, the appropriate advocacy will enable them to reveal their hidden problems, protect their interests, increase their volunteer engagement, create partnerships and alliances between them and as a consequence the project will lead to improvement of their status in their project countries and elimination of inequalities. All of the findings and proposals for reducing these inequalities will be organized in a comprehensive manual. The manual will include the current situation (where we stand), the suggested changes both locally and in European level (where we want to go) and the actions that need to be taken (how are we going to achieve equal labor rights). Finally, the exchange of knowledge will empower the self – employed by assisting them in making informed decisions, conducting public awareness campaigns, speaking about their needs and strengthening their capacity.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 61546 Eur

Project Coordinator

NEOLEA GIA ANTALAGI KAI KATANOISI & Country: CY

Project Partners

• ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SOCIAL ECONOMY GROUP
• A.D.E.L. – ASSOCIATION FOR DEVELOPMENT, EDUCATION AND LABOUR
• MOJU – ASSOCIACAO MOVIMENTO JUVENILEM OLHAO
• BANGHERANG ASSOCIAZIONE DI PROMOZIONE SOCIALE