From the 24th to the 29th of January 2021, YouthProAktiv Spain organized in Madrid a training for international youth workers focused on the possible uses of e-entrepreneurship for the creation of  inclusive societies. The project was funded by the Erasmus+ program under the frame of its Key Action 1 mobility for youth workers.

As main defined objectives the project was firstly oriented to provide youth workers with skills and tools to improve their digital and entrepreneurial competences. Secondly, it aimed at extending youth workers’ awareness on innovative methodologies that are applicable in non-formal educational settings so that they can translate it in the area of empowerment and inclusion of the disadvantaged youth. 

Gathering participants from 8 different countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Spain, and Turkey) the event consisted of different practical activities, presentations by local speakers with Q&A sessions as well as intercultural activities and reflection exercises for peer learning and capacity building! 

As external speakers we counted with the participation of Félix Lopez Capel, advisor and mentor in marketing and sales strategy at Startups and companies, who provided the best tips on how to create an e-business. Ignacio Perez Valero, co-founder and director of operations at Bumpers Brand Clothes, inspired us with his brand’s successful story and entrepreneurial approach. Patricia San Miguel, Digital Marketing Teacher at ISEM Fashion School, showed us the insights of Marketing in the Digital Setting with the aim of learning to carry out a marketing campaign in our digital projects and also presented the project “The Influencer Trust label” in order to explain the value of social media and role models as well as showing the process of transforming a social media account into a business project.

We also had the chance to learn about an entrepreneurial influencer, Alejandro Moreno de Carlos, who grew his photographer career thanks to social media. In his session, Alejandro exposed the challenges and dangers of these platforms as well as explaining their potential within an e-business. Lucas González-Ojeda, Director of Communications, Partners and Social Media in the European Commission, gave a clear definition and explanation on the Digital Single Market for us to understand the strategy of the European Commission and the opportunities within it. Alejandro de Leon, founder of Microwd, prepared our participants with the finest tips on Online funding opportunities for digital projects; and finally, Tono Escudero, creative producer at 02:59films, enlightened us with the creative process of an audiovisual piece which showed the audience how to create quality content for an entrepreneurial project.

One of the uniqueness of the program was the development of three Digital Project Ideas that our participants had previously come up with. With the help of three successful entrepreneurs, Jorge Moreno Hernández, CEO at Twenix, Alvaro Hita, CEO at HelpUP, and Paloma Cantero, CEO at YouthProAktiv, participants developed an initial plan to start an e-business! Later on, they created original designs for their projects that were finally presented on the last day of the training.

The “Time management e-workshop series for lone entrepreneurs” by Afrodite Theocare, focused on the development and commercialization of an online workshop for young people who need guidance for self-reflection and readjusting their work-life balance.

“Ingenium” by Anna Medve and Marko Vlachopoulos focused on the development of an  online platform where all students in Europe can easily view all opportunities available for youth that match their interest. 

Finally, “ErasmusIn” by Joachim Vanheusden aimed to create a common social media platform for everyone involved in an Erasmus+ project or activity,  as a community and international network of beneficiaries.    

Thanks to all our partners, participants, speakers and organizers for their dedication & passion, showing how, even in the context of COVID-19; education and youth empowerment is still a worth-fighting priority!

By Maria Lopez