The project focuses on development of place-based methodologies enabling youth organizations and other actors to build ecosystems that boost social entrepreneurial activity. The methodology will enable youth organizations accomplish these objectives: to identify challenges and obstacles that inhibit supportive environments; to strengthen social entrepreneurial ecosystems from the ground up, enabling cities to identify smarter paths of empowering young people; to identify transferable good practices from initiatives, projects with high social and environmental impact; to understand the needs, motivations of stakeholders involved in developing social entrepreneurial ecosystems; to create a unified evidence-based framework indicating elements critical to success locally.The project will include 11 organizations representing North Macedonia, Costa Rica, South Africa, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Austria, Denmark, Ecuador, Serbia and Peru. The project will include series of capacity building and mobility activities designed with aim to reach following objectives: to evaluate local contexts and support the creation of conducive social entrepreneurial environments using created methodology; to gather and analyse practices implemented and transfer these practices in the field of youth; to develop competences of youth workers in new methodology thus increasing quality of activities targeting young people with fewer opportunities and developing their entrepreneurial competences and to encourage collaboration in the creation of local and international projects addressing challenges that prevent supportive social entrepreneurial ecosystems. Key project results will be increased capacities of organizations to support creating supportive environment for social entrepreneurship and new methodology available to youth organizations and other stakeholders. The methodology will be a framework including indicators and metrics applicable to building social entrepreneurial environments for young people. We aim to look at what has been done, what has worked well and what is not working well as a springboard for developing solid and effective frameworks well-suited for empowering young people. This new methodology would modernize youth work. Social enterprise friendly cities, and ownership at the citizen level, will revitalize the contexts that young people live in, the creation of new types of work, future-based skills and ignition of ideas that can inform policy. An activated community could address the issue of high failure rates in youth entrepreneurship, once citizens or locals are aware about social enterprise, new markets and support systems for products, services and youth employment will be created. Finally, with a population close to 1.8 billion, youth are the future, hence empowering them now to be drivers of change, by building their capacity will help to proliferate the results of this project.
-To evaluate local contexts and support the creation of conducive SE environments using created methodology;-To gather and analyse practices implemented and transfer these practices in the field of youth;-To develop competences of youth workers in new methodology thus increasing quality of activities targeting young people;-To encourage collaboration in the creation of local and international projects addressing challenges that prevent supportive SE ecosystems.
The project is based on the capacity building initiatives focused on the social entrepreneurship whereby it was highlighted the need to explore how we can bring about social, economic and sustained environmental resilience at city level and create new labor markets for young people. The need to cooperate in building supportive social entrepreneurial environments was highlighted. Additionally, we have identified a need for place-based methodology for building ecosystems that boost SE activity.
<< Background >> The project is based on the capacity building initiatives focused on the social entrepreneurship whereby it was highlighted the need to explore how we can bring about social, economic and sustained environmental resilience at city level and create new labor markets for young people. The need to cooperate in building supportive social entrepreneurial environments was highlighted. Additionally, we have identified a need for place-based methodology for building ecosystems that boost SE activity. << Objectives >> -To evaluate local contexts and support the creation of conducive SE environments using created methodology;-To gather and analyse practices implemented and transfer these practices in the field of youth;-To develop competences of youth workers in new methodology thus increasing quality of activities targeting young people;-To encourage collaboration in the creation of local and international projects addressing challenges that prevent supportive SE ecosystems. << Implementation >> During the project, we have implemented CBA: a kick-off and evaluation meeting in North Macedonia; local research in each country that provided solid ground for next steps; and testing workshops. The process of developing the mapping methodology as well as raising the capacities of youth organisations to apply this methodology in their work was carried out throughout four mobility activities: two seminars in North Macedonia and Costa Rica, and two trainings in Serbia and Slovenia. << Results >> Increased organizational capacities to promote and foster supportive settings for SE are major project results. The capacity building is based on the newly developed methodology with indicators and metrics applicable to building social entrepreneurial environments for young people. Through the development of new job types, the development of skills for the future, and the igniting of ideas that can guide policy, these new youth powers are helping to create cities that are receptive to SE.