Through SUSE we empowered youth as active citizens and strengthened their employability through social entrepreneurship. Our goal was to equip youth with the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to address social challenges and build sustainable futures, to: -Raise awareness of SE as a viable career path based on SDG-rooted, hands-on content -Build entrepreneurial & intrapreneurial skills : training on establishment of SE, entrepreneurial skills, planning, networking creativity, leadership and initiative for proactive employment. -Reduce youth unemployment: networking links participants—including the socially excluded—to (social) businesses, widening career access across Europe. -Activate local problem-solving: experiential learning guides youth to identify community challenges and craft SDG-aligned social business ideas. -Bridge the gap between youth and the business sector: mentoring, field trips and pitching sessions expose participants to real enterprise dynamics and opportunities. -Equip youth workers for digital engagement: a manual and tool kit enable engaging, online support. -Promote SE trough competitions: a gamified business-plan contest and handbook ignite motivation, creativity and excellence.
We applied for the SUSE project in response to the urgent challenges youth faced in the aftermath of COVID-19, particularly high unemployment, social exclusion, and digital inequality. Many young people lost jobs in vulnerable sectors and struggled to transition from education to work. NEETs were especially at risk due to limited support and engagement. SUSE aimed to address these issues by promoting youth entrepreneurship as a sustainable path to employment and active citizenship. We focused on building entrepreneurial and digital skills, linking them to real-world problem-solving through the SDGs. The project filled a gap in existing training programs by offering hands-on, non-formal, and innovation-driven learning, encouraging youth to develop social business ideas that support both local and global sustainability. We also addressed the digital divide by equipping youth workers with tools for effective digital engagement. Structured competitions further supported youth confidence, collaboration, and creativity. SUSE was designed to offer an inclusive, future-oriented response to help youth reconnect, grow, and thrive.