e-VENTURE
Promoting the Entrepreneurship of Young People with fewer opportunities in Europe
Coordinator: Fundacio Privada Eveho
Partners: S.C. Predict Csd Consulting S.R.L. (Romania) , Arsis Koinoniki Organosi Ypostirixis Neon (Greece) , Liberamente ETS (Italy) Project id: 2021-1-ES02-KA220-YOU-000029140
Website: www.e-venture-learning.eu
Background
The entrepreneurship of young people with fewer opportunities is one of the greatest challenges facing the EU today. The lack of job opportunities for young people, inequality, and the socio-economic impact generated by COVID-19 are some of the factors that negatively affect the promotion of new business ideas or social projects by these groups.
Unemployment in Europe is a reality that especially affects young population. While the unemployment rate in countries such as Spain, Italy, Greece and Romania is 16%, 9%, 16.2% and 5.2%; the youth unemployment rate is 39.9%, 29.7%, 34% and 18%; respectively. The situation of young people with fewer opportunities is especially complex in the EU: this target group often presents socio-economic, cultural, linguistic or geographical barriers that hinder their employability and affect their process of inclusion in their community. The EU has developed different policies to promote the employability of these beneficiary groups, through employment guidance and accompaniment, which plays a fundamental role in social and employment areas (García-Hernández, 2017). Through these accompaniment processes, young people can learn about professional fields, develop their competences, skills and knowledge of different disciplines.
A crucial element to favour access to employment is youth entrepreneurship. It has been shown that entrepreneurship is a key factor in finding solutions to youth unemployment, and has a positive correlation with other forms of participation in the community (de León, Zlobina & Pascual; 2021). Favouring entrepreneurship strengthens initiative, commitment, leadership, creativity, self-confidence and future projection (Cruz, Idárraga & Monsalve; 2021); fundamental elements for young people in situations of special vulnerability. Likewise, the training of youth workers who daily support these young people becomes an important element during the process of creating business ideas or social projects.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and methods based on gamification, offer a range of possibilities to ensure the training of young people with fewer opportunities, as well as youth workers dealing with this group. The use of innovative technological gamification techniques has proven to be a useful tool to promote entrepreneurship in young people (Vidal, Lama, & Fernández; 2020), compared to other conventional resources.
On the other hand, the sustainability of new business models currently plays a fundamental role, in accordance with the main lines of action of the European Green Deal (European Commission, 2019).
In this sense, EVEHO Foundation, along with PREDICT, ARSIS and LIBERAMENTE, have developed e-VENTURE project, to promote the entrepreneurship of young people with fewer opportunities in the European Union, through gamification methodologies and Information and Communication Technologies.
Objectives
Through the e-VENTURE project, it aims to achieve the following general objective: “To promote entrepreneurship of young people with fewer opportunities in the EU, through gamification methodologies and Information and Communication Technologies”.
Specific Objectives:
O.E.1.: To develop educational tools and digital innovative methodologies, promoting social entrepreneurship of young people with fewer opportunities.
O.E.2.: To favour the acquisition of knowledge, skills and competences of youth workers, in order to support young people with fewer opportunities, during their process of the creation of business ideas or social projects.
O.E.3.: To develop the competences, skills and knowledge of young people with fewer opportunities in the field of social entrepreneurship.
O.E.4.: To promote the autonomy of young people with fewer opportunities, facilitating the support and follow-up during the development of their own initiatives and/or social enterprises.
O.E.5.: To favour the employability of the project beneficiaries as employees.
O.E.6.: To favour the exchange of good practices and initiatives developed in the European Union in the field of social entrepreneurship, among the different agents participating in the project.
Activities
The project aims to achieve the objectives of the project through different activities following a structured methodological process, involving the creation of two main Results.
Firstly, specific training on social entrepreneurship will be provided to youth workers. Through the creation of the “e-VENTURE Training Course” (Result 1), these professionals will be trained to provide individualised support young people with fewer opportunities during the process of business or social project creation. These professionals will acquire knowledge, competences and skills in this field, becoming important agents, with a key role during all the phases of the project. The final result will be a virtual Training Course consisting of four Modules differentiated by themes: (1) Introduction to social entrepreneurship, (2) Entrepreneurship methods, (3) Gamification tools for entrepreneurship and (4) Coaching for entrepreneurship. To validate and improve this Training Course, an international training event will be held in Italy: e-VENTURE Training Course (AAEF). Subsequently, youth workers trained during this activity will transfer the acquired knowledge to other professionals in a piloting phase at local level.
Afterwards, the consortium will develop the e-VENTURE Gamification Experience to promote social entrepreneurship of young people with fewer opportunities in the EU. This educational resource will consist of a virtual Escape-Room, which will be created by and for young people, and will contain different innovative scenarios to ensure their training in entrepreneurship, in an interactive way. The young people themselves will participate in the creation and development of the Gamification Experience, ensuring that the Result is attractive, adapted to their needs and ergonomic. The previously trained youth workers will lead the product testing and piloting actions, guaranteeing individualised support, thanks to the knowledge acquired in the previous phase. During these piloting phases, young people will not only receive training on entrepreneurship, but will have a space to create their business ideas with the support of youth professionals. The final Result will be a Gamification Experience with four different scenarios (Rooms): (1) Knowledge Room, (2) Skills and Competences Room, (3) Sustainability Room, (4) Action Room. To validate and improve the Gamification Experience, an international training event will be held in Romania: e-VENTURE Gamification Experience. International Training Event (AAEF). The youth workers trained during this activity will lead the local piloting phase with young people with fewer opportunities.
Finally, the project will conclude in an entrepreneurship “Bootcamp” programme in Spain (AAEF): an international event in which both the young people and the professionals involved in the previous activities will participate. The aim of this programme will be to facilitate the immersion of young people through seminars and practical exercises led by experts, as well as to give voice to their business ideas and social projects. These business ideas will be presented and assessed by a panel of experts, to ensure that the innovative proposals are viable in economic, impact and sustainable terms. Finally, the business ideas presented by the young beneficiaries will receive the support of the partner organisations, guaranteeing their implementation, once the project is completed.
Impact
1. Together with the Infodays, seminars, training actions and the Multiplier Events, the Results (R) of the Project will contribute to the achievement of the different specific objectives defined.
e-VENTURE Training Course (R1). This Training Course will include different contents oriented to youth workers. Through this course, it is expected that these professionals will acquire the necessary knowledge, competences and skills to support young people with fewer opportunities during the process of entrepreneurship and business ideas creation. This course will be developed through a Moodle platform, and will include four different modules. The e-VENTURE course will be a key pillar to guarantee the participation of these professionals in subsequent phases of the project.
e-VENTURE” Gamification Experience (R2). This gamification experience will be developed following a virtual “Escape Room” format, which will be available on computer and smartphones. It will be a digital tool to promote entrepreneurship among young people with fewer opportunities, in a simple and interactive way. The R2 will contain four rooms or scenarios to promote social entrepreneurship.
The different R of the project will be available on the project website, which will facilitate the transferability of knowledge.
2. Knowledge, skills and competences of the beneficiary populations.
Young people with fewer opportunities will be provided with resources that will promote:
Knowledge and ability to promote a business idea or social project.
Knowledge of the labour market and economic activities present in the EU.
The development of competences and skills to lead innovative social initiatives and ideas.
Self-knowledge about their professional profile, as well as their strengths and weaknesses in terms of social entrepreneurship.
The process of social inclusion and labour insertion, through actions based on entrepreneurship. Contact with other young people and social entities aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and business ideas. The start-up of businesses or social projects, which will have the support of the consortium members.
The Youth Workers will have at their disposal resources that will favour:
1. Together with the Infodays, seminars, training actions and the Multiplier Events, the Results (R) of the Project will contribute to the achievement of the different specific objectives defined.
e-VENTURE Training Course (R1). This Training Course will include different contents oriented to youth workers. Through this course, it is expected that these professionals will acquire the necessary knowledge, competences and skills to support young people with fewer opportunities during the process of entrepreneurship and business ideas creation. This course will be developed through a Moodle platform, and will include four different modules. The e-VENTURE course will be a key pillar to guarantee the participation of these professionals in subsequent phases of the project.
e-VENTURE” Gamification Experience (R2). This gamification experience will be developed following a virtual “Escape Room” format, which will be available on computer and smartphones. It will be a digital tool to promote entrepreneurship among young people with fewer opportunities, in a simple and interactive way. The R2 will contain four rooms or scenarios to promote social entrepreneurship.
The different R of the project will be available on the project website, which will facilitate the transferability of knowledge.
2. Knowledge, skills and competences of the beneficiary populations.
Young people with fewer opportunities will be provided with resources that will promote:
Knowledge and ability to promote a business idea or social project.
Knowledge of the labour market and economic activities present in the EU.
The development of competences and skills to lead innovative social initiatives and ideas.
Self-knowledge about their professional profile, as well as their strengths and weaknesses in terms of social entrepreneurship.
The process of social inclusion and labour insertion, through actions based on entrepreneurship. Contact with other young people and social entities aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and business ideas. The start-up of businesses or social projects, which will have the support of the consortium members.
The Youth Workers will have at their disposal resources that will favour:
The accompaniment of young people in their process of entrepreneurship or development of innovative social ideas.
Knowledge of techniques, resources and methodologies of social entrepreneurship. Contact with other professionals and social entities working with young people with fewer opportunities. The capacity for mediation, monitoring, evaluation and follow-up in the process of social initiatives creation. Access to digital platforms for training in social entrepreneurship.
Knowledge of innovative techniques to promote the employability of young people through entrepreneurship.
3. Management of the e-VENTURE Project. The management tools will favour the capacity of the partners to carry out their daily work with the beneficiary populations. Through the Evaluation & Quality Plan (PEC) and the Risk Plan (PC) of the project, the development of quality R with a high degree of transferability will be facilitated.
4. Social outcomes. The R of the e-VENTURE project will favour the processes of social inclusion and labour insertion of the young beneficiaries. The R expected from e-VENTURE are aligned with the main European policies. It is intended to:
Promote the use of ICT to favour the social inclusion and labour insertion of the young beneficiary population. To favour the processes of inclusion and integration of young people with fewer opportunities in the EU. Promote equity, social cohesion and social participation of young people in the EU.
To train professionals who daily work with young people in social entrepreneurship.
e-Venture project: Multiplier Event