SEED: Social Entreprenurship for Education and Development

<< Background >>The four associations, with an established working relationship, identified common needs around empowering youth through social entrepeneruship. These two questions from a pre-project survey clearly identified the project need. Do you dream of starting your own SE? 85% replied yes.Do you feel prepared to start your own SE? 10% replied yes. All project activities addressed this gap between a youth desire to create a social enterprise and their perception of their ability to actually do it. The empowerment needs were detailed to include a change of mindset as well as the creation of competencies and concrete abilities. The congruency between this primary aim and the specific statutes of the four associations was our reason to undertake the project. Our different skillsets combined to create a team capable of creating the required outcomes. All four countries experience this primary need for youth empowerment through social entrepreneruship. The partners also identified a secondary need of creating social services in our communities while also creating youth employment options. The real youth SE projects that were launched or furthered through the tools and activites we created demonstrate actual outputs from our work.<< Objectives >>The implementation of this project had several key objectives. The project aimed to empower young people by instilling in them the mindset and skills needed to become social entrepreneurs. Practical and digital tools were provided to equip youth workers in guiding and supporting young individuals on their entrepreneurial journeys. The project sought to raise awareness among young people about the opportunities available in the field of social entrepreneurship. An entrepreneurial mindset was activated, allowing participants to develop qualities such as creativity, problem-solving, and a proactive approach to addressing social issues. << Implementation >>The implemented activities included presential trainings for youth workers to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills. Working sessions were held in Finland, Macedonia, Turkey, and Spain, focusing on various aspects of social entrepreneurship such as introduction, experiential learning, gamification, and effective communication. An online course was created to offer comprehensive training on social entrepreneurship. A public awareness campaign was launched through the creation of an ebook, podcasts, and social media content.Local workshops were organized for young participants, providing hands-on learning experiences and mentorship. Online events were conducted to bring together youth workers and young individuals from different locations, facilitating knowledge sharing and collaboration. Local workshops were organized to transfer best practices to communities, while a hackathon served as a local-transnational digital multiplier event, providing mentoring and resources for young people to launch their social enterprises. These activities collectively aimed to empower youth workers and young individuals, fostering a culture of social entrepreneurship and promoting collaboration and innovation in the field.<< Results >>The concrete outputs and other results of the project are as follows:-The working session(WS) conducted in Finland resulted in the establishment of a foundation for social entrepreneurship (SE) by introducing the concept and creating awareness among the participants.-The WS held in Macedonia provided participants with hands-on experiences in SE, allowing them to gain practical knowledge and skills in this field.-The WS in Turkey focused on gamification techniques and strategies in SE.-The WS conducted in Spain emphasized effective communication strategies for SE. -Creation of Online Course: It provided accessible and comprehensive training in SE. -Public Awareness Campaign: The project launched an awareness campaign through various channels, including an ebook, podcasts, and social media content. -Local Workshops: Each partner organized local workshops in their local area.-Hackathon: The local-transnational online multiplier event, in the form of a hackathon, brought together young people and provided them with mentorship and resources to launch their social enterprises.