The implementation of this project had several key objectives. The project aimed to empower young people by instilling in them the mindset and skills needed to become social entrepreneurs. Practical and digital tools were provided to equip youth workers in guiding and supporting young individuals on their entrepreneurial journeys. The project sought to raise awareness among young people about the opportunities available in the field of social entrepreneurship. An entrepreneurial mindset was activated, allowing participants to develop qualities such as creativity, problem-solving, and a proactive approach to addressing social issues.
The four associations, with an established working relationship, identified common needs around empowering youth through social entrepeneruship. These two questions from a pre-project survey clearly identified the project need. Do you dream of starting your own SE? 85% replied yes. Do you feel prepared to start your own SE? 10% replied yes. All project activities addressed this gap between a youth desire to create a social enterprise and their perception of their ability to actually do it. The empowerment needs were detailed to include a change of mindset as well as the creation of competencies and concrete abilities. The congruency between this primary aim and the specific statutes of the four associations was our reason to undertake the project. Our different skillsets combined to create a team capable of creating the required outcomes. All four countries experience this primary need for youth empowerment through social entrepreneruship. The partners also identified a secondary need of creating social services in our communities while also creating youth employment options. The real youth SE projects that were launched or furthered through the tools and activites we created demonstrate actual outputs from our work.