Young Women green Entrepreneurs – YOU_WEEN!

YOU_WEEN!’s aim is to raise awareness of young women living in rural areas and their communities about rural development, inspire them to think sustainable, and employ entrepreneurial thinking in their daily routines, work, and ventures. Project capitalize on personal and soft skills, such as creativity, critical and holistic thinking, and confidence to challenge themselves, using ICT and digital skills. young women suffer from a particularly challenging set of educational barriers, due to cultural, political, social reasons that leave them out of education or job market: nearly 14% of the world’s young women are unemployed (UNESCO, 2016) and are considered globally as a vulnerable youth category, having limited knowledge of their civic and political rights,

including the capacity to express their political and social views (UN Interpeace).

On the other hand, it has been shown by numerous studies and field researches that working with young women becomes particularly effective thanks to the social role played by

women, since when they have the opportunity and the skills to do it, women take the lead of the social change (UN Women watch Organization).

That’s why the project will address the key competencies on the development of entrepreneurial skills, as identified by the EU as the capacity to act upon opportunities and ideas, and to transform them into values for others, working on both young women and youth workers. The project will reach out to young disadvantaged women and stimulate their active participation, reshaping the local communities by enhancing their entrepreneurial skills in a sustainable framework, thus addressing their social inclusion and wellbeing and their participation in democratic life.

Youth workers will be trained in digital, entrepreneurial, and peacebuilding skills and will pilot the good practices through grassroots projects and local engagement actions.

Objectives:

– train the trainers about instruments for rural development, (social) entrepreneurship, women empowerment, and sustainable ideas

– start rural development local grass-roots initiatives lead by young women

– inspire rural communities for agro-economic and social change

– share good practices of rural development and women empowerment in Consortium countries

– develop 3 IOs:

1- Set of educational videos

2- Virtual Interactive Network and platform

3- Exploitation roadmap and guidelines for policy influence

– Strengthen Consortium partnership by developing common events and activities

YOU_WEEN! project final beneficiaries are young women who live in rural areas, while young groups, youth leaders, trainers who deal with rural affairs are the target group for training activities and they will be in charge for training young women in rural areas and involving them in grass-roots projects. There will be 1 LTTA aimed at training the trainers (short-term joint staff training event) followed by local activities and the set up of grass-roots projects. There will be final blended mobility for young women that will lay the foundations of the European network.

This project has to be carried out internationally since there are many differences amongst EU countries in rural areas; so, the project will benefit from a variety of points of view, best practices, and solutions. YOU_WEEN! will give strong emphasis for international cooperation and will strengthen ties between EU countries involved, promoting best practices and collaboration for common goals and knowledge exchange in the field of Youth, particularly through the European Network.