Programme: Erasmus+
Key Action: Learning Mobility of individuals
Project Title: “Circular ECOnomy ENTREpreneurship”
Project Identifier: 2023-1-HR01-KA153-YOU-000147743
Topics: Environment and climate change; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; Green skills
Results Platform Project Card: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2023-1-HR01-KA153-YOU-000147743
Coordinating organisation and country: Udruga “Ostvarenje” / Association “Realization”, HR
Participating Countries: HR, RS, IT, BA, ME, XK
Funded by: Agencija za mobilnost i programme Europske Unije (AMPEU), the Croatian National Agency for the Erasmus+ programme
Project duration: 01/07/2023 – 30/04/2024
Project Summary:
Transitioning to a circular economy model brings significant opportunities for Europe and its citizens. This is an important part of the effort to modernise and transform Europe’s economy as we know it in a sustainable way of managing the economy.
That is the transition based on solid business logic that allows companies to achieve significant economic profit and increase their competitiveness in the market. In addition, such a management principle contributes to significant energy savings and environmental protection. Such jobs are then given a new look: they are becoming green jobs. It is generally believed that the first step towards a circular economy should be the adoption of new rhetoric, which includes the previously mentioned advantages of this economics model, the understanding that waste resources and that systematic changes are needed to achieve a sustainable economy and society.
And that is exactly what we are targeting with our project.
Project objectives:
- Raising competencies and skills of youth workers across 6 partner countries for the development, implementation, and evaluation of youth work activities and programs focused on ecology, sustainability, and circular economy to empower young people in local communities for development and creation of entrepreneurial opportunities in line with the principles of circular economy.
- Creation of multiplication workshops in 6 local communities with goal of youth workers sharing their new knowledge, skills and competencies with other interested youth workers, and young people.
- Raising capacities of partner organisations for development of new local community based activities and projects based on the youth work activities in fields of ecology, sustainability, and circular economy for empowering young people for development and creation of entrepreneurial opportunities.
- Introduction of non-formal learning methods and promotion of the Erasmus+ program through the introduction of new methods of work to participants, and discussing possibilities of skills and knowledge transfer by using different opportunities of the Erasmus+ program.
- Fostering future cooperation between partner organisations involved in the project – through sharing experiences and results from follow-up activities during the evaluation meeting.
Circular Economy Entrepreneurship – training course held in Zadar, Croatia
Training course “Circular Economy Entrepreneurship” took place in Zadar, Croatia from 10th of October until 18th of October 2023, and brought together 20 youth workers from 6 partner organisations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, Italy and Montenegro.
The training course was designed and developed to empower participating youth workers to develop, implement and evaluate youth work activities and programs focused on ecology, sustainability, and circular economy to target NEET young people in local communities for development and creation of entrepreneurial opportunities in line with the principles of the circular economy.
During the first part of the training course, participants had a chance to meet each other, present their daily youth work activities in partner organisations and share realities of their countries and local communities regarding the topics of circular economy, sustainability and entrepreneurship.
After that, participants went deeper into the topic and discussed about circular economy principles, how traditional entrepreneurial models can be adapted to circular economy approaches, and what competences and tools can help youth workers to make this transition when addressing topics of entrepreneurship and self-employment with young people. In the final part of the activity, participants developed multiplication follow-up workshops that will be implemented in local communities, with the support of their partner organisations.
In the evenings, participants were able to share information about their countries, cities, cultures, traditions and customs, as well as to try sweets and snacks from participating countries through intercultural evenings. They were also able to present their organisations and ongoing projects. Next activity of this project will be Evaluation Meeting, taking place in Zadar, Croatia in March 2024. In the period until the evaluation meeting, participants will work on implementing local level activities for empowering youth for sustainable entrepreneurial activities based on the principles of circular economy.
*Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.