YKSE stands for Young Kreativ Social Enterprises through the mobilisation of Digital skills and Intercultural dialogue. Our project proposes a new training methodology and scheme for youth workers who will guide and mentor young people with low school attainment and our of employment and education to start up a Kreative and social Enterprise. The training pathway for young learners will equip them with updated digital and marketing skills which will be useful to deliver innovative and creative products or services. YKSE wants to provide a solution to the great challenge caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The unprecedented socioeconomic crisis makes the most vulnerable groups suffer the most due to rising unemployment levels and social inequalities. Among those groups, young people are the hardest hit, especially those with lower educational attainments and more difficulties to find a job. This crisis makes the volatility of the world market more evident than ever, with a continuous demand for new capacities and skills to adapt to the labour market demands. But COVID crisis has also meant a training divide, with educational alteration due to the closure of training centres, reduction of practical training in work placements, and gaps in content and connectivity in digital training. Access to internet or technology has supposed a learning divide for the most vulnerable students, and so has the possession of the digital and transversal competences needed for an efficient online learning experience (such as planning, time management, motivation, autonomy, etc). Students that are not performing well due to special educational needs derived of personal or socioeconomic difficulties, with normally low self-esteem and motivation, lack of attention and impulsivity, and low levels of transversal competences, are less probable to maintain their engagement and to end satisfactorily an online training, increasing their risk of drop-out, school failure and exclusion. To create a valuable alternative for disadvantaged youth, YKSE will develop an e-learning platform for youth workers and educators to be ready to train the young cohorts in a hybrid (blended) way and using the virtual and digital tools developed by the partners. The training that we propose focusses on the development of social creative entrepreneurial skills adapted to the digital economy. Youth workers will accompany NEETs and young people at risk of drop-out in an engaging and innovative peer-coaching pathway in which they will learn how to start up Social KreativEnterprise. The methodology of the YKSE project focuses on providing youth workers with the skills to understand young people in difficult economic situations and socially excluded. School drop out, unemployment or low attainment levels make it difficult for young people to be engaged and active at the social level. The role of youth work represents a gateway for young people and boosting youth workers capacity to get young people involved in highly socially creative training can make a difference in their lives. The proposed training will not only improve the digital teaching skills of the youth workers who will be implementing a hybrid learning programme (offline and online), but it will also encourage the young learner to design a business model taking advantage of the technological and digital tools they dispose of. In this way, youth workers will be empowered thanks to market-relevant training and set of digital tools that can be transferred and applied to other contexts different from the entrepreneurial ones. They will be encouraged to use the tools and access an online and free platform in which they will acquire the knowledge and competences to coach young people in starting up a social creative enterprise since the creative and cultural sectors provide for millions of work in Europe and are capable of engaging the young cohorts in relevant and socially valuable activities. The main outputs of the project will be: IO1: A methodological framework for youth workers to work with disadvantaged young people focused on emotional intelligence and self-awareness. The methodology and guidelines will equip youth workers with the relevant skills and know-how to engage young people in training during the difficult moments we are living. IO2: Curriculum with Practitioner Guide and Modular learning programme for youth workers. The curriculum will provide youth workers with the right competencies to guide young people in setting a creative social enterprise. IO3: E-learning platform: YKSE platform is aimed at creating an online space for youth workers to updated their set of skills at any time and anywhere. We have foreseen the direct participation of 8 youth workers in the LTTA and 12 young people in the national pilot training.
In the original feedback from the 2020 application, the Assessor advised that the Young Kreativ partnership should confirm a clear set of key objectives for the project, in a more concise manner, at the final report stage - line with the original application. During the implementation stage of the programme in 2021, the project goals were assessed and a concise list of key objectives were finalised based on the original application: -Boost social entrepreneurial learning & creative skills for youth at risk of disengagement, using a digital platform. -Develop 3 innovative intellectual outputs to train youth workers in social entrepreneurial methods, aiding their support for young learners. -Upskill youth workers, educators, mentors to empower youth in social entrepreneurial learning. -Support youth mentors with online/blended methods for NEETs' entrepreneurial skills, enhancing employability. -Integrate unemployed/NEET youth into the labour market through mentoring on starting Social Creative Enterprises. -Address COVID-19's impact on youth engagement in education/jobs, enhancing distance learning and support. -Bridge digital skills gap, promote social entrepreneurship, and empower youth for success in a changing digital world.
The Young Kreativ project partnership emerged in response to urgent youth sector challenges in 2019-2020. EU-wide youth unemployment escalated from 14.8% (2019) to 17.6% (2020) due to COVID-19, reaching 40% in some nations. The pandemic worsened inequalities, especially for vulnerable youth with lower education levels. Disruptions to education and training worsened drop-out and NEET rates. Digital learning gaps widened. The Young Kreativ partnership came together to empower & aid youth work in countering pandemic effects on education, employment, and wellbeing. Key addressed needs: -Tackling 2019-2020 youth sector challenges -Mitigating pandemic-driven socio-economic crisis -Supporting vulnerable youth, lowering unemployment -Combating education disruptions and NEET rates -Bridging digital learning gaps The programme incorporated social entrepreneurial and creative skills through a digital platform, promoting critical thinking, problem-solving, and autonomy and equips youth with skills for jobs and education, fostering innovation and adaptability. The digital approach empowers youth workers to engage NEETs and potential drop-outs through online and offline methods, addressing economic challenges and social exclusion.