The project aimed at nurturing and supporting v.i. youths' sense of initiative and entrepreneurship by creating a safe and peer-learning oriented environment, which can facilitate the testing and validation of social entrepreneurial ideas. The project also aimed at achieving the inclusion of young v.i. people by developing guidelines for organizing peer learning hiking, involving v.i. and sighted youth together, going on a target oriented trip and learning from each other on the way. As far as the main objectives of Cooperation Partnerships are concerned, the project aimed at: - Increasing the quality in the work and practices of the organisations involved, which coming from different sectors, which greatly complemented each other's activities and practices; - Building the capacity of newcomers and currently locally focused organizations to work transnationally and across sectors; - Addressing common needs and priorities in the fields of youth; - Enabling transformation and change (at individual, organisational or sectoral level), leading to improvements and practice enrichment for all involved organizations and participants.
Several different motivating factors stood at the grounds of this project: - a critical group of young people with v.i. from the countries involved, looking for an opportunity to test entrepreneurial ideas, involving participants with and without sensorial disabilities. - the absence of a guide for organizing peer learning hiking activities for sighted and v.i. youth, which empowers both parties and promotes them to the role of learners and educators. We wanted to see sighted and v.i. work together as equals, as peers, which is the effect we pursue in society. - hiking is a great way of improving one's physical and mental stamina, balance, flexibility to fast changing or unforeseen circumstances and creative problem-solving skills, all of which can play a significant role in everyday tasks with regards to social entrepreneurship. Hiking is a useful tool and a fun way of overcoming low levels of physical activity. - Live action role play fosters activities and situations that trigger personal strength and raise the self-esteem and the confidence to ‘take risks’ in the social life. Confidence is fundamentally related to our curiosity, to being open to new opportunities and alternatives, as well as to learning about the world.