EUROPEAN HUB MODEL FOR SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS Erasmus Project

Project Title

EUROPEAN HUB MODEL FOR SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE 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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment

Project Summary

The European Union and many European countries face a challenge in their efforts to tackle the high youth unemployment witnessed today. Entrepreneurship is high on the political agenda and various national schemes are underway to facilitate access to vocational training, entrepreneurial support and start-up funding among the European youth. The unemployed youth are striving to make an effective transition into self-employment or increase the sustainability and competitive advantage of their businesses and social entrepreneurship is one area of business that is on the uptake.

As a result, peripheral organisations, such as private and public youth organisations or NGOs are re-organising their service provision and support structures, to include tools and services (called HUB by project partners) that will help young people getting started with a social enterprise. These organisations are one of the main beneficiaries of this project.

In aiming to promote youth entrepreneurship, with special focus on social entrepreneurship, the partners set the following OBJECTIVES:
→ to foster cooperation and exchange of experiences and good practices in the field of social entrepreneurship and youth employability;
→ to contribute to the development of the quality of support systems and the capabilities of those who work with unemployed young people and young people who are classified as ‘Not in Education, Employment or Training’ (NEET);
→ to develop a HUB MODEL KIT, which will be used by youth NGOs and other organisations engaged in youth employment;
→ to introduce new approaches in youth work and strengthen cooperation on how to help youth organisations become stronger, more sustainable, and better able to serve young peoples’ needs;
→ to improve young people level of social entrepreneurial skills and competences, necessary for their active participation in the labour market.

The most important project output that will help tackling the issue of youth unemployment is the developed HUB MODEL KIT trough which partners will on one hand delivered a “ready to go” approach that the youth organizations can incorporate in their activities, in full or in parts and on the other hand it also educate other organizations, like public institutions and business on the role and potential that youth organizations have in tackling the problem of youth unemployment trough effective information and educational activities that develop and support the skills needed to become a successful social entrepreneur. In addition to the HUB model kit, the partners also prepared: one international training for youth workers, eight webinars and a series of entrepreneurial workshops for both youth workers and unemployed young people who are thinking about their own business path.

Based on defined project’s objectives the partners adopted the following methodology: non-formal learning, active learning, ICT based education, researches and cross-sectoral working and they implemented activities (webinars, educational workshops, communication activities, multiplier events, etc.) that have impacted a large number of direct and indirect beneficiaries (young people, NEETs, youth workers, youth NGOs, experts, general public etc.).

In order to achieve the project objectives and to produce high quality results, a cross-sectorial consortium of diverse range of international partners with different experiences, profiles and expertise was set up:

→ PiNA (Slovenia) as a Youth NGO and non-formal education provider;
→ National Management School (Bulgaria) as a vocational and non-formal education provider;
→ Drosostalida (Greece) as a social enterprise;
→ Bridging To The Future (UK) as an incubator for social enterprises and SMEs.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 87718,32 Eur

Project Coordinator

Kulturno izobrazevalno drustvo PiNA & Country: SI

Project Partners

• National Management School
• BRIDGING TO THE FUTURE LTD
• Social Cooperative Enterprise Drosostalida