The Project Become Busy 2.0 is a follow-up to the Become Busy project (2017-2-EL02-KA205-003332) implemented by the Social Innovation and Cohesion Institute, it is based on its results and products to move one step forward and give a meaningful basis to youth who are interested in entrepreneurship, providing them with more tools to achieve their goal. What we have realized is that there are many ideas and many young people who also want to make them real. COVID19 and mobility restrictions have had an asymmetric impact on EU labor markets, with the most negative impacts focusing on those already vulnerable before the outbreak, such as young people. The European Commission has proposed a major recovery plan for Europe based on harnessing the full potential of the EU budget. pandemic and strengthen the EU single market. However, few go ahead to production and commercialisation few youth take the risk, defy bad omen and negativity and do not abandon their ideas. Those who move forward need support from their first steps in order to achieve their goals and not give up. The BB 2.0 project seeks to contribute and support the initial stage of maturing an innovative idea by creating and using a virtual pre incubator, a MOOC (Masive Opne Online Course) and a digital library of Open Educational Resources on our topic, and present the pre – incubation strategy to youth. What we want to achieve with the project activities is to promote maturing and integrating innovation into youths’ business ideas, to be supported through a pre-incubator strategy that includes education, mentoring, consulting, networking and ICT products, and will provide them with the knowledge, competences and confidence needed to grow their innovative idea into a viable business. The partnership is comprised of the Social Innovation and Cohesion Institute (GR) as the Applicant, CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE PER LA PROMOZIONE DELL'EDUCAZIONE E LO SVILUPPO ASSOCIAZIONE (IT), INTERNATIONAIG ARINGERGEN ORGANIZATION ORBERS SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION AND ACTIVE LEARNING (CY), the Pan-Hellenic Association of Electronics, IT and New Technologies Enterprises (GR) and ASOCIACION CULTURAL Y DEPORTIVA LAHOYA (ES). The results that will be produced are: IO1 Need Analysis on pre-incubation Strategy IO2 Formulation of Business Plans and development of prototypes IO3 Upgrade of the Become Busy Platform with Virtual Business Simulation Pre-incubating Tool and a MOOC (MOOC (Masive OpenOnline Course) IO4 Digital Library of educational material - Open Educational Resources on pre-incubation Strategy There will also be two learning activities: C1 Holistic pre-incubating support program involving training activities - Training Modules with 24 youth workers participating and aiming to train them on innovative pre-incubation tools, on the MOOC & on the use of the Digital Library of educational material - Open Educational Resources on pre-incubation Strategy and C2 Holistic pre-incubating support program involving e-mentoring & coaching activities with 24 youth participants aged 18-30 years with mature business ideas and aiming to get in touch with the pre-incubator strategy and use of its supportive tools. In addition, the project is implementing a Innovation Competition Pitching Event that will give contestants the opportunity to get in touch with Business Investors and Business Angels, develop their network and earn a prize for use as initial funding their business. The impact of our project is for youth people to gain a positive experience with pre-incubator strategy so that they can promote the realization of their business plans and do not hesitate to join an incubator. This can benefit the local community as well as themselves, as they increase their chances of becoming an entrepreneur, which in turn is vital to boosting a country's economy and therefore impacts on national and European level.
The added value of BB 2.0 is its essential contribution to support the primary stage of the maturation of an innovative idea, creating & using processes of a virtual pre-incubator. Through this project, we gave added value to the emergence of innovative ideas of young people we support their transformation into a business endeavor. The objectives set by the project were the following: 1. To create an attractive interactive environment for the development of business ideas that will give young people the necessary impetus to develop as businessmen 2. To strengthen young people's business skills through training on soft and hard skills 3. To spread the concept of the pre-incubator, its function & its benefits to organizations active in the field of youth & entrepreneurship & to be used by them as well 4. Participating agencies to be trained in the services of the pre-incubator 5. The participating young people to receive the necessary support & at the end of the project to be sure of their business steps
The proposed Project "Become Busy 2.0" is a continuation of the project Become Busy (2017-2-EL02-KA205-003332) implemented by the Institute of Social Innovation and Cohesion, relied on its results and products to go a step further and give a substantial basis to young people interested in entrepreneurship, providing them with the most tools to achieve their goal. Coming to today, we realized that there are many new ideas also who wish to implement them. COVID19 restrictions & restrictions on mobility have had an asymmetric impact on EU labor markets, with more negative effects to focus on those who were already vulnerable before the outbreak, such as young people. The European Commission proposed a large recovery plan for Europe based on harnessing the full potential of the EU budget. Our work is also in line with the content of of the EU's Next Generation recovery tool which was created to support the groups most affected by the pandemic and to strengthen EU single market. However, few go ahead productively and commercially, few are the young people who take the risk, defy the bad omens and negativity and don't they abandon their idea.