NON-FORMAL BUSINESS

EUROPEAN COMMISSION – http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/youth/

PROJECT Objectives

The “NON-FORMAL BUSINESS” is a project financed by Youth in Action Programme – 2012 – Action 4.4: Projects encouraging innovation and quality.

The overall objective of the project “Non-formal business” is to improve the activities of organizations dedicated to young entrepreneurs through the exchange of best practices for creating a common European methodology of non-formal entrepreneurship applied in innovative business incubators. The project was implemented by a consortium formed by four organisations of youth workers in four countries: Young Entrepreneurs Association from Romania – YEAR, Young Entrepreneurs of the European Union – JEUNE Begium, Academic Business Incubators Poland, Young Entrepreneurs Association Hungary – FIVOSZ.

The achieving of this overall objective was accomplished by the following specific objectives:

1. An exchange of best practices by involving four youth workers in a study visit for 5 days at the most innovative European business incubator – Academic Business Incubators Poland. All four project partners were present at the study visit which took place in the incubator in Poland.

2. The promotion of non-formal education elements innovative in entrepreneurial field by identifying and creating a common methodology that will be applied to business incubators existing at national level for each partner. It was made a common methodology that is and will be promoted within business incubators in the 4 partner countries.

3. The transmission of examples of good practice identified by the organization of four national events to promote the methodology developed for the implementation of innovative elements of non-formal education to entrepreneurial youth workers. Each partner has organized in the country where he comes one promotion conference of the methodology created.

4. Providing of quality services by youth workers involved in promoting youth entrepreneurship by applying best practice elements of non-formal business of the Academic Business Incubators Poland, comes  in encouraging innovative initiatives entrepreneurial. The elements were taken through the methodology and implemented within partner organizations from the project, but also by other youth organizations who participated in events performed within the project.

Activities 

The main activities of the project “NON-FORMAL BUSINESS” were conducted according to the following structure:

• Common methodology entreprenorial non-formal education:

Preparation of the study visit

• Based on details set out in the first working session of the implementation team, reservations were made for each youth worker involved in study visit. Each partner took care of reservations for the traveling of the representative and beneficiary of the project, PTIR handled all the accommodation for youth workers involved in study visit;

• Also, the agenda of activities was carried out by PTIR and proposed to partners and based on changes, a final program was established and transmitted;

• To ensure visibility of the project and activity implemented, a press release was launched before the visit of the study.

Implementation of the study visit

• The main activity carried out in the project was represented by a study visit in Warsaw for 5 days, in which were involved representatives of partner organizations who hold positions of project manager;

• Young people, youth workers, aged between 18 and 40 years, involved in this study visit have a very extensive experience in youth activities, in general, and in business in particular, being involved in managing organizations they represent;

• Study visit took place at the Academic Business Incubators Poland and aimed knowledge sharing regarding  systems of formal and non-formal education to support entrepreneurship and financial ones, sharing best practices, learning methods of non Formal practiced in the business incubators, but also information related to cultural and traditional elements specific to youth involved in work;

Brochure “Non-formal business”

• Following the study visit made in Poland, was written and printed material “Non-formal business” which includes common elements of the methodology of non-formal entrepreneurial identified to be implemented at national business incubators exist in Romania, Belgium and Hungary . Both plan and methodology elements were determined in the study visit and the project beneficiary, Young Entrepreneurs in Romania, centralized all the data and included them in a common material. The sketch of  this, including visual identity elements, was sent to partners, and based on feedback received from them was made final form of the document. This was originally written in English, and each of the four partners provided the translation of  material into Romanian, French, Polish and Hungarian. All 5 versions of the material can be found on the project website.

Promotion of “Non-formal business”

• The promotion material were realized by organizing and implementing of one conference at each partner involved. At the events were invited to take part as representatives of the governmental and youth workers interested in innovative methods of non-formal entrepreneurial education . In addition to discussions with government representatives for identifying new policies that can be made in order to develop youth entrepreneurship, events have a non-formal component which youth workers invited were involved in a role-play in which was simulated an element of non-formal education activity in a business incubator. Over 100 youth workers were involved in the events. In this regard, the project beneficiary, PTIR, set a timetable for implementation of promotion activities and forwarded to partners and based on feedback received was finalized conference program. Events were implemented during the seventh and eighth month of the project. For each conference were released two press releases to national and European level, and the pictures from the events and results were posted on the project website;

In addition to promotional events material, brochure “Non-formal business” material was disseminated in the youth organizations partner entities involved in the project.

Organize A Partners’ Meeting In Romania

•The consortium has extending the period of project implementation, with another 4 months, until 30th of June 2014. In this concern, was included a new activity in the project, which had as a subject taking a step forward on the implementation of the common European methodology of non-formal education applicable within business incubator. The activity invlved:

Objective: officially launch the implementation of the common European methodology of non-formal education (the main result of the project) in the incubator administrated by the Young Entrepreneurs Association from Romania – StartUp Romania, as an innovative element ensuring the quality of the activities developed; analyze the methods used and their impact over the young people interested in launching entrepreneurial activities

Participants: 1 representative from each organization involved in the project (4 youth workers – Young Entrepreneurs Association from Romania – YEAR, Young Entrepreneurs of the European Union – JEUNE, Academic Business Incubators, Young Entrepreneurs Association Hungary – FIVOSZ);

Timetable: May – June 2014;

Result: 1 concrete case of the common European methodology of non-formal education implementation; 3 members of the implementation team involved; 1 report prepared concerning the common European methodology of non-formal education implementation, including (if applicable) recommendation on incubator’s activity.

Asociaţia Patronatul Tinerilor Întreprinzători din România