Digital Entrepreneurship for Youth

The project’s vision: Our vision is to equip young people with knowledge and courage to start their digital entrepreneurial career.

Objective: In terms of education, digital entrepreneurship opens up new possibilities for the next generation of entrepreneurs. Starting a new business, or launching a new product, in the physical world is costly and risky for beginners. The digital world not only reduces barriers to starting something new but also offers a variety of paths to success.

Identified Problem 1: Youth disengagement from the labor market causes economic problems that can lead to higher health issues, increased crime, and higher levels of social exclusion. Unemployed youth cost the EU €156 billion in annual welfare expenses. Digital businesses allow for flexibility while earning income and often require less investment than traditional brick-and-mortar businesses. You can start by making money online or even creating an e-commerce website that sells products online.

Identified Problem 2: Industrialization gave rise to our modern education system and the normalization of learning. Today, many of our natural entrepreneurial traits are taken away from us – to prepare us to be good employees, not entrepreneurs. Nowadays, developed economies are moving towards a more fluid, innovation-based economy where a different set of entrepreneurial skills is needed – critical thinking, persistence, adaptability, creativity, and initiative.

Solution – Digital Entrepreneurship (DE):
DE is a term describing how entrepreneurship will change as businesses and society continue to be transformed by digital technology. It highlights changes in practice, theory, and business education, including:

– New ways to find customers
– New ways to generate revenue and reduce costs
– New sources of opportunity, risk, and competitive advantage
– New ways to offer products and services

In terms of education, digital entrepreneurship opens up new possibilities for shaping the next generation of entrepreneurs. The best way to learn entrepreneurship is to ‘do it’ and reflect on that experience. Starting a new business or launching a new product in the physical world is costly and risky for beginners. The digital world not only reduces barriers to starting something new but also offers a variety of paths to success.

Objectives:
1. More employable/self-employed youth in the digital economy
2. Raise awareness that digital entrepreneurship is less risky than brick-and-mortar businesses
3. Increase ICT skills,
4. Foster business education.
5. Promote self-confidence and responsibility

Target group of the project:
1. Youth Workers: referring to the group of professionals in youth work, trainers, or leaders in youth centers, employment offices, or schools, dealing daily with young people and/or NEETs.

2. Young People: referring to a generation of 15-30-year-olds, with a special focus on those included in the “NEET status” (not in employment, education, or training) and/or those who want to be self-employed by creating their own businesses, needing to acquire basic knowledge and experience in the digital sector, gain experience in the field of the digital economy, and benefit from digital business skills, tactics, and tools.