Descubriendo las Empresas Sociales Erasmus Project

Project Title

Descubriendo las Empresas Sociales

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 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education

Project Summary

Youth unemployment is one of the biggest challenges facing Europe today. Over 22% of those under 25 are unemployed. In countries like Spain and Portugal youth unemployment rate is even higher, 55% and 40% respectively. The way out of youth unemployment can be achieved by increasing the knowledge and skills of young people as stated by the Erasmus +.

14 Spanish and Portuguese youth will participate in this project. They face a risk situation as to be unemployed. Over the 11 months of the project, they will deal with this situation and fight to get out. The project aims to:

1. Strengthening entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity of young people

2. Increase the skills of young students or college graduates who face unemployment despite their studies

All this through a series of activities such as workshops, visits to companies, interviews with entrepreneurs, individualized support from experts, creating their own business plan… etc (in English) to be undertaken in the 2 transnational meetings to be developed in Spain and Portugal. And with a special focus on social entrepreneurship. The social entrepreneurship, defined as a combination of employment and opportunity to fight poverty and social exclusion is seen as an important tool to fight against unemployment, unknown in the educational sector and in the society in both countries.

Through this project, entrepreneurship among young people is promoted and entrepreneurial vocation wake, analyzing and enhancing the capabilities of each. It is intended to grow the enthusiasm to develop a project, and to work for the development of key skills such as finding own passions and interests, encourage creativity, improve teamwork, develop public speaking, facilitate decision making, increase the ability to lead a project, enhance English, promote constructive criticism, bring young people into business world, promote solidarity, help them to grow and mature, and make a real world learning. They will be also in the company with young people from another country, different cultural background, facing the same problems. They will have the chance to communicate and cooperate with each other and in the end to find ways out of the deadlock of unemployment.

During the project the communication between the two groups will be conducted via email and facebook. A blog for the project will be set up with the results.

The target group of the project is not only the group of participants, but also their peer group and unemployed youth in both countries through the dissemination and publication of results that may also participate in the project.

Project promoters are Tandem Social and IPP both partners have experience in projects in the field of youth and social entrepreneurship, and they have worked together in European projects.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 15150 Eur

Project Coordinator

Tandem Social & Country: ES

Project Partners

• INSTITUTO POLITECNICO DO PORTO