THE PROJECT

In this project we were dealing with the question of improving competences connected with entrepreneurship and labour market, especially developing entrepreneurship, language, communication and creative competences. The project focused on needs of the participants to gain and develop their competences to get higher chances to succeed at the labour market both in their countries and at the common European market.

The participants of the project were young people aged 15-20 who were active in their organizations, participated in activities done by partner teams and were interested in gaining new competences and experience at international level. 31 people from 6 countries were involved. Each team was composed of 1 leader and 4 participants who were able to communicate in English. All teams involved participants with limited opportunities or coming from disadvantageous environment. The project was a youth exchange under KA1.

The main activities included ice-breaking games, presentations about unemployment, workshops focused on starting a firm, making a business plan, logo, commercials, promotion, writing CV, role-plays on job interview, discrimination at the labour market, cultural evenings, day of national cuisine, presentations of fictive firms, evaluation activities, creating Youthpasses, working out results from the project and disemination activities. The project included methods of non-formal learning such as ice-breaking games, energizers, teambuilding games, workshops, debates and discussions, role-plays, excursions, intercultural activities and disemination activities.

The results of the project were increased competences of participants: entrepreneurship, communication and language, creative, digital, learning to learn, and social, as well as increased cultural awareness. We created proposals of fictive firms including short business plan, logos, promotion, TV commercials, promotion and disemination materials and flyers, photo-book from the project, both electronic and printed publication with outputs, webpage, facebook page, etc.

Impact - participants developed their entrepreneurial, communication, language, creative, social and IT competences, their motivation to be active at labour market, their ability to bring new creative ideas and develop them, ability to see the world through an entrepreneurial eye and search for business opportunities, they developed their knowledge of business English, improved their ability to work both individually and in a team, plan and organize activities, present own ideas, persuade the others, answer objections, make compromises. They also increased their tolerance towards other cultures and towards people coming from different environment. We noticed a significant impact on participants, team leaders and organizations not only mainly at local and regional level. The project has long-team benefit both for the participants and thanks to disemination also for target groups. It improved entrepreneurial competences of young people, offered them a possibility to self-realization through running their own business, presenting ideas of possible firms, their logos, promotion, commercials etc. The project is sustainable, its activities and methods may be used by other organizations working with youth. For the participants it is also sustainable as they will be able to develop their ideas and start their own firms in the future.

This was our project - My firm, my soul!

The project was held in Hrádek, Czech Republic in March 2022 and was financially supported by a grant from the European Commission.