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Social Startups for Entrepreneurship
Social Startups for Entrepreneurship
Start date: Oct 1, 2014,
End date: Jul 31, 2015
PROJECT
FINISHED
The training course “Social Startups for Entrepreneurship - SOS for Entrepreneurship" is an Erasmus+ - Key Action 1 – Mobility of youth workers project. It was host from SOS Diritti e Legalità, among the dates 14-21 January 2014, in Ciampino (Lazio). Six countries were involved (Italy Romania Greece Poland Portugal and Lithuania) with 4 participants each, plus the team of trainers and staff (totally 31 participants).
The project aimed at increasing the competencies of youth leaders/workers working with youngsters with fewer opportunities or socially excluded providing different tools for empowerment. During the training, concept such as youth employment, youth entrepreneurship, managerial and leadership skills have been deeply explored. The gathering of 31 young people coming from diverse cultural backgrounds added the value to the activity and helped us to create an inclusive environment for the participants facing different fewer opportunities and situation of unemployment.
The training went in the same line with the Erasmus + objectives and specifically with 2 annual priorities: Youth Unemployment and the fight against poverty and marginalization. Beside this the project fulfilled the main priorities of the E+ programme responding concretely to the promotion of European citizenship and fostering social cohesion in the European Union. The topic was closely related with: participation of young people, cultural diversity, inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities and European citizenship.
The idea of the Tc was clear since the beginning: make participants aware that with the rising rates of youth unemployment around our continent, education and skills development should be on the bases of our work. Youth unemployment is one of the principal social and economic challenges of this decade in Europe and around the world.
Objectives of this training were:
- To explore the concept of social inclusion, employment, youth entrepreneurship, youngsters with fewer opportunities;
- To develop young people’s autonomy, individual and collective responsibilities, and involvement in society;
- Train youth activists, leaders and youth workers how to elaborate their creative ideas wisely and transform them into practical tools for social change;
- Develop entrepreneurial thinking towards the non-formal learning context;
- Discuss the unemployment in Europe & use the social entrepreneurship as a tool to address it and fight against;
- Create a peer group of young motivated and creative people that can act as multipliers in their organizations or communities;
- Promote the achievements of Erasmus + as a valid tool and resource to be used for education on social entrepreneurs.
The learning agenda of the training course was based on non-formal education methodology. Based on participants evaluation, the course was successful and managed to achieve its aims. Participants had the opportunity to get to know each other, to discuss, share experience, share tools, implement workshops, put the knowledge in practice and set up future cooperation. Participants experienced how it is to feel in shoes of others, how it is to work with other young people from different countries and backgrounds, how to present and be listened to, how to create partnership and good relations, (both professional and personal), how to learn and how to accept challenges, how to be a part of the team and contribute with their experience, background, etc. In spite of the differences in their cultures, background and experience, the participants did learn and discovered a lot about the similarities young people have.
The communication language was English and participants improved their communication in foreign languages competences and intercultural communication.
Participants got deep knowledge about the Erasmus + programme and detail information how to apply with it under the different Key actions in order that other young people can get engaged in the near future. Participants worked in future projects workshops in order to maintain cooperation with partner organizations.
We are more than satisfied about the results we achieved during SOS for Entrepreneurship. The course also leaded to the development of future partnerships which will be implemented hopefully with the support of the Erasmus+ and other programmes from different donors from the respective partner organisation.