The Europe 2020 strategy recognises entrepreneurship and self-employment as key for achieving smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Moreover, the top priority of the Commission is "to get Europe growing again and to increase the number of jobs without creating new debt". This strategy is receiving even more importance nowadays in the COVID-19. Thus, SEE ME GR&OW project will ensure that: 1) existing self - employed (SE) will remain with the same status and will not become unemployed 2) young people will be motivated to work as SEs. As depicted in this application, despite the fact that SEs are considered as entrepreneurs, the comparison shows that they have fewer benefits and fewer opportunities for development compared to employers and employees. In most countries, unemployment and work injury benefits for the self-employed are less favorable than for standard workers. The SE (particularly the young and women) also often lack the entrepreneurial skills that are crucial for identifying and exploiting new opportunities, while access to entrepreneurship education is rather limited (especially for disadvantaged groups). The SEE ME GR&OW project has the following objectives: To combat discrimination, inequality and other forms of exploitation in the workplace. To learn, through sharing of practices and regulations, the realities in other countries. What kind of opportunities and possibilities do self employed have? What are the risks of being self-employed and what are your benefits? To create a European network among at least the four organisations who work with youth, advocacy and labor right to ensure the exchange of good practices and support of SE rights. To foster participants' knowledge, skills and abilities about entrepreneurship and sound management skills. To help the participants to develop their soft – skills. To equip youth workers and youth self - employed with the basic concept and skills of advocacy to be able to create their own intervention. This project will up-skill youth workers and those who are already self-employed, and freelancers, and provide sound business advice to improve soft skills, management skills and their future prospects for creating a sustainable entrepreneurial practice. Furthermore, the SEE ME GR&OW project will promote an entrepreneurial mindset and culture among young people, networking opportunities for business development, it will cultivate the unique skills of every participant and help them to think outside the box. Moreover, it will create opportunities for exchange of practices and entrepreneurial tips, it will increase their self-confidence, ensure social justice for all workers and entrepreneurs and stimulate the economy. In addition, through the development of the soft skills of the participants, the project will: Facilitate effective communication among them, among their colleagues, among their customers, among the governments and among the decision makers. Improve their problem - solving skills. Enhance creative and critical thinking through cooperation. Increase their self – esteem, their self – capacity and reduce their stress. Facilitate their personal development and career advance. Increase their overall job satisfaction. The SEE ME GR&OW project will facilitate intervention at local and international level through advocacy and effective representation of the self – employed in the decision making. As a result, the appropriate advocacy will enable them to reveal their hidden problems, protect their interests, increase their volunteer engagement, create partnerships and alliances between them and as a consequence the project will lead to improvement of their status in their project countries and elimination of inequalities. All of the findings and proposals for reducing these inequalities will be organized in a comprehensive manual. The manual will include the current situation (where we stand), the suggested changes both locally and in European level (where we want to go) and the actions that need to be taken (how are we going to achieve equal labor rights). Finally, the exchange of knowledge will empower the self - employed by assisting them in making informed decisions, conducting public awareness campaigns, speaking about their needs and strengthening their capacity.
Τhe objectives of the project are aligned with the pillar of employment and entrepreneurship of the youth strategy prepared by the Youth Board of Cyprus. Namely the objectives are: · To combat discrimination, inequality and other forms of exploitation in the workplace · To learn, through sharing of practices and regulations, the realities in other countries. What kind of opportunities and possibilities do self employed have? What are the risks of being self-employed and what are your benefits? · To create a European network among at least the four organisations who work with youth, advocacy and labor right to ensure the exchange of good practices and support of SE rights · To foster participants' knowledge, skills and abilities about entrepreneurship and sound management skills. · To help the participants to develop their soft – skills · To equip youth workers and youth self - employed with the basic concept and skills of advocacy to be able to create their own intervention.
The European 2020 strategy recognises entrepreneurship and self-employment as key factors to achieve smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Moreover, the top priority of the Commission is "to get Europe growing again and to increase the number of jobs without creating new debt". Now, its even more relevant because of COVID-19. We wanted to ensure that existing self-employed will remain with the same status and will not become unemployed,and young people will be motivated to work as SEs,thus we proposed this project.The SE (particularly youth and women) also often lack the entrepreneurial skills that are crucial for identifying and exploiting new opportunities,while access to entrepreneurship education is rather limited (especially for disadvantaged groups).A study by Dias da Silva and Turini (2015) across the EU,using data from the European Structure of Earnings Survey finds that groups of people who belong in nonstandard employment like the SEs are less covered by social protection benefits (health, pension and unemployment insurance) and are underrepresented in labor market policies.The project facilitated the exchange of practices between participating countries showing what is applicable to each country's legislations.