The Erasmus+ KA2 project “Social Entrepreneurship and Innovative Solutions” (SEIS) involves 8 organizations from Europe and Latin America (from Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Paraguay, Spain, Uruguay) and will be realized in 23 months (between September 2018 and July 2020). It is focused on entrepreneurship education for youth, with special emphasis on social entrepreneurship, non-formal and experiential learning alongside specific knowledge, using ICTs which will ensure a holistic approach to the personal development of young people, including young people with fewer opportunities. The partners in this consortium believe that social entrepreneurship is a way to achieve sustainable development, positive changes in society, social inclusion and cohesion, inclusive growth, through engaging marginalized and vulnerable groups of young people, who could equally contribute to the development of their communities, if they have the right tools and skills and if they are empowered and motivated.In the broader and more long-term aspect, the project aims to contribute to solving the issues related to unemployment of young people and the marginalization of certain groups in society who face difficulties in integrating in the labor market. Through the foreseen activities it intends to make a valuable contribution to Europe’s 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and to create cross-synergies at transnational level among participants and participating organizations.
A comprehensive, international strategy that focuses on the local level while taking a regional and global perspective was implemented to address the cross-border problem of youth unemployment, which has stable high percentages. Unfortunately, the project's lifespan coincided with the Covid pandemic, which made the problem of youth unemployment and general unemployment worse. Under-education and under-training as a phenomenon emerged as a result of the distant kinds of training. In addition to assisting with local problems, social entrepreneurship has also been shown to be effective at fostering global cooperation, enhancing networking, and inciting coordinated efforts to promote inclusive growth, shared prosperity, and social inclusion based on real-world actions and practices. Respectively, the project's partnership between European and Latin American nations ensured a dynamic and successful process of knowledge- and experience-sharing, which aided in the discovery of answers to the most pressing problems on both a local and global level.Through the activities that were undertaken, the project also improved shared awareness of the reality in both regions. Project partners and youth workers had the opportunity to grow their networks through European cooperation and participate in a learning process based on the reciprocity of knowledge- and idea-sharing and the exchange of best practices. This project established an open occupationally diverse network. The consortium was formed on the basis of existing partnerships between the organizations and on the joint work in previous projects, as well as on the relevant expertise in: project development and management on the local and international level, non-formal education, social entrepreneurship and youth work, development of innovative solutions and the use of ICTs. 4 partner from EU countries and 4 countries from Latin America participated in the project. The shared values, methods of work and common goals were the most important pillars of the partnership. The partners in the consortium bring to the project their specific expertise and experience, which creates a diverse spectrum of skills, knowledge, good practices and know-how, which will contribute to the successful achievement of the project objectives, its impact and sustainability.The SEIS project activated and also promoted culture and creativity amongst the participants, as an element in the "Renewed Framework for European Cooperation in the Youth Field" as a field of action for youth policy and have given great opportunities for transforming young people's creativity and human capital into smart growth and jobs. In the digital era culture participation is a powerful tool to promote social inclusion and social engagement, especially among the youth.The SEIS project promoted social entrepreneurship as a tool of finding innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges in our society. SEIS supportd raising awareness and understanding of social entrepreneurship through non-formal educational activities and online platforms. Moreover SEIS encouraged and stimulated realization of the new innovative ideas related to social entrepreneurship through storytelling techniques (video storytelling).Covid-19 created extreme conditions for social entrepreneurship - state support was reduced to a minimum, social needs increased sharply, new areas of application emerged in conditions of isolation and lockdowns. These conditions, on the other hand, have also created new opportunities for social entrepreneurship, which have remained resilient business models and are being used in the now normalised pandemic environment.