Digital Security for Young Entrepreneurs Erasmus Project

Project Title

Digital Security for Young Entrepreneurs

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education

Project Summary

The DiFens partnership had united 1 University, 2 NGOs, 1 Youth Centre and 1 Public Body for the development of a collaborative online platform, where the groups of the project, potential young entrepreneurs and young entrepreneurs, can find information, advice, mentoring and peer learning that can help them in the challenging task of sustaining and expanding their business ventures. The DiFens platform enables them to test their entrepreneurial ideas from Digital Security perspective, including social initiatives, aspiring to design, plan and carry out social innovations to address current pressing European challenges.

There are numerous opportunities for young people, wishing to engage in classical, digital or social entrepreneurial activities. StartUp incubators and accelerators flourish. Many EU funding schemes and projects in the field of launching youth entrepreneurial activities have been functioning for years. In view with the rising levels of Cyber-attacks happening nowadays, an emerging challenge for these young entrepreneurs is how to ensure Digital Security to these successful endeavours. In order to address this issue, the DiFens project focused on promoting the importance of Digital Security to young professionals, delivering specific knowledge and skills for management of sustainable business ventures, as well as fostering social innovations among young entrepreneurs. Additionally, many key-actors from the partner countries have recognised DiFens added value, and had expressed their support to the current project. Among these, ministries, governmental agencies, hubs, networks and commercial chambers have encouraged the DiFens implementation.

The overall aims of the DiFens project were achieved and included the:
– design and development of the online multilingual sophisticated platform;
– organisation of a 6-day joint staff training that prepared 10 youth workers for training;
– delivery of online mentoring on digital entrepreneurship to 15 potential young entrepreneurs and 15 young entrepreneurs from each of the partner countries in their native language;
– promotion of the online platform across youth and youth workers’ communities in the 5 partner countries and across Europe.

Regarding the DiFens Platform, it incorporates the following innovative features:
– An innovative complex curriculum under the form of e-Manual on the different aspects of Digital Security (i.e. Digital Security Risk Assessment, Legal Issues, Business Digitalisation, Social Entrepreneurship, etc.) aimed at potential young entrepreneurs and young entrepreneurs. The DiFens e-Manual is elaborated in comprehensive manner, offering valuable insights on Digital Security with user-friendly wording.
– Online mentoring services for potential young entrepreneurs and young entrepreneurs that are based on an agreed mentoring methodology, reflecting existing knowledge base of partners on academic, business and youth work levels. The methodology employs tailor made strategies, content and methods, which reflect the mentoring specifics of the 2 specific groups of project (potential young entrepreneurs and young entrepreneurs).
– A methodology that provides guidelines for both youth workers and young people in delivering online mentoring. The peer mentoring is a key element to our concept, since it provides close collaboration between different groups of young people on different stages of their ventures development and in different business spheres, paving the way for long-term sustainability of results.
– The self-sustainable design of the platform was based on the involvement of the youth workers who were trained during the Joint Staff Training. These Master Youth Trainers provided guidance, advice and mentoring to aspiring young entrepreneurs, as well as to those who are more advanced entrepreneurs. Additionally, the Master Youth Trainers are now empowered to transfer the gained know-how and train other Youth Trainers in order to maximise DiFens impact and enhance the thriving business environment on a pan-European level and the Digital Single Market.
-The online feature allows mentoring of potential young entrepreneurs and young entrepreneurs from any European country. In terms of language coverage, mentoring is available in English, Greek, Slovenian, Polish and Bulgarian. The self-sustainable design also aims to attract young entrepreneurs from other language groups to ensure larger coverage.

The main impact dimensions of the project are summarised as follows:
– Potential young entrepreneurs and young entrepreneurs can successfully implement and sustain their ideas digitally in the field of entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship by understanding and gaining skills in Digital Security.
– Youth workers can transfer knowledge on innovative Digital Security curriculum, deliver online mentoring and inspire peer collaboration on international level.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 119669,98 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS & Country: CY

Project Partners

• Gmina Kielce/Kielecki Park Technologiczny
• CELJSKI MLADINSKI CENTER, JAVNI ZAVOD ZA MLADINSKO KULTURO, IZOBRAZEVANJE, INFORMIRANJE IN SPORT
• YET
• PRAVO I INTERNET FOUNDATION