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Gençlik İnovasyonu: Sosyal Girişimcilik Modeli

2024-3-TR01-KA154-YOU-0002872492024Youth participation activitiesfinalized
Countries: TR · Grant: €58,910
Democracy and inclusive democratic participationEmployabilityEntrepreneurial learning - entrepreneurship education

Objectives

The main aim of our project was to increase young people’s awareness of social entrepreneurship and help them gain competencies in this field. We approached social entrepreneurship not only as a way of generating economic value, but also as a transformation tool focused on creating social benefit. For this reason, throughout the process we aimed to support young people in becoming individuals who can develop solutions for social problems, create social impact, and produce sustainable ideas. During the preparation phase, the youth meetings and needs analyses we conducted revealed an important picture. Many young people stated that they were interested in entrepreneurship, yet they also expressed that they felt insufficient in areas such as developing business models, transforming ideas into concrete initiatives, and building sustainability. Therefore, we designed the project not as a classical training model, but as a participatory learning process where young people could develop ideas, discuss, collaborate, and gain practical experience. One of our main objectives was to improve young people’s ability to create solutions for social problems. We focused on strengthening competencies that are highly important in entrepreneurial processes, such as leadership, strategic thinking, teamwork, and project management. As the activities progressed, we observed a visible increase in participants’ self-confidence. Young people who were initially hesitant to express their ideas later began presenting group projects and developing their own social entrepreneurship initiatives. While planning the educational programme, we did not see theoretical knowledge as sufficient on its own. Before the physical activities, we organised online preparatory meetings under the title “Social Entrepreneurship 101.” We structured this process additionally as Ahali Association because we believed participants would benefit more from the physical activities with a stronger preparation process. During the online sessions, trainings titled “Transformative Ideas: Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship,” “Design Your Enterprise: Model, Feasibility, Business Plan,” “Impact-Oriented Enterprises: Marketing, Finance, Law,” and “Management Strategies in Social Entrepreneurship” were delivered. These sessions focused on the social entrepreneurship ecosystem, business model development, sustainability, and financial planning. Through these online trainings, we reached more than 150 young people. As the project progressed, we deepened participants’ idea development processes through the “From Inspiration to Action in Social Entrepreneurship” workshop and the “Synergy Seminars.” Afterwards, we organised the “Innovation Summit in Social Entrepreneurship,” where the knowledge, ideas, and recommendations generated throughout the project were carried into a broader discussion environment. During the preparation process before the summit, participants strengthened their ability to develop and defend ideas through roundtable discussions, theatre activities, and debate sessions. Afterwards, they had the opportunity to meet directly with decision-makers and share their recommendations. One of the most important outputs of the project was the “Youth Innovation Social Entrepreneurship Policy Paper.” While preparing the policy paper, the needs, challenges, and solution proposals expressed by young people throughout the activities were directly included in the process. In particular, the document highlighted the lack of mentorship opportunities for young people, limited local support mechanisms, and the need for social entrepreneurship to become more visible within youth policies. Throughout the project, we also considered the European Youth Goals and Erasmus+ priorities related to youth participation, active citizenship, and social inclusion. In particular, “Youth Goal 4: Information and Constructive Dialogue” and “Youth Goal 8: Quality Learning” guided our overall approach. By the end of the project, participants had gained comprehensive knowledge about social entrepreneurship and acquired important experience in developing initiative ideas, planning production processes, teamwork, and creating sustainable solutions. One of the most valuable outcomes for us was seeing that young people no longer viewed social entrepreneurship as a distant concept, but as something applicable in their own lives. During the physical activity phase, we also organised practical workshops where participants could directly experience production processes. Ceramic workshops together with beeswax wrap and candle-making workshops became some of the most remarkable activities of the project. In particular, the zero-waste focused beeswax wrap workshop created strong awareness among participants regarding environmental sustainability. Young people not only learned production techniques, but also experienced how socially beneficial entrepreneurial ideas can be developed.

Project partners (6)