Making growth sustainable

Context and needs

After “Open Your Mind” we saw that young people’s interest in entrepreneurship is real, but that they lack the tools to move from idea to business model. At the same time, more and more of them wanted what they build to have a social or environmental meaning too, not just to make money.

Objectives

The project aimed to develop entrepreneurial spirit from the perspective of sustainable development, through an integrated approach to social and green entrepreneurship, and to build business ideas that answer real needs in the participants’ home communities.

Activities

Two ten-day youth exchanges in Bodo. Introduction to social entrepreneurship and the green economy, case studies from the participating countries, workshops on building a business model, with problem, solution, beneficiaries, resources and sustainability, and pitching the ideas to a jury of participants and trainers.

Results and impact

More than ten business ideas with social or environmental impact, documented in a simple business plan format. For many participants it was the first time they had worked in an international team and the first time they had presented an idea of their own in public.

Materials and resources

The full photo album of the project is published on our Facebook page.