Digital Entrepreneurship

Aims & objectives

Entrepreneurship is an important aspect of the development of any country. The digital entrepreneurship education is a new approach to this path and a challenge in educational system, which aims to prepare youth to face the technological change. So, this project idea was based on the development of knowledge of technological platform use, which can lead to behavioral change and can create opportunities for youth mainly from rural areas, to develop their entrepreneurial skills and to create workplaces or to develop already existing businesses. This digitalization process can create an opportunity for youth to develop their networks across their country and in participating countries, to get to know business communities and to widen their opportunities in their own business idea creation. In particular, the participants used digital tools to learn entrepreneurial skills such as business feasibility, market research, business plan writing, project management, creating marketing plan, sales skills and digital platforms for their individual products.

Key skills to develop:
• Teamwork and leadership;
• Communication and listening;
• Analytical thinking and problem solving;
• Critical thinking;
• Strategic thinking and planning;
• Public speaking;
• Body signs;
• Innovation and creativity;
• Collaboration and networking;
• Emotional intelligence;
• Time management;
• Customer service;
• Finance, marketing, project management.

Target group & international/intercultural composition of the group & team

The participants' profile of the TC:
• 18+ years old;
• youth workers, youth leaders, trainers, facilitators, mentors, other educators;
• open to new experience and learning opportunities;
• open-minded and flexible;
• able to communicate and express themselves in English;
• motivated and interested in the topic of the project.

The training involved 30 participants from 12 countries: Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Lithuania, Romania, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Tunisia, Ukraine.

Training methods used & main activities

Examples of the training methods used:
• Improvisation Theatre method (to boost creative thinking);
• World Cafe;
• Brainstorming;
• Hackathon (simulation);
• Simulations;
• Open Type Games;
• Open Space Technology.

Outcomes of the activity

The visible and practical project outcomes are represented by the entrepreneurial and business ideas, which the participants were elaborating in small groups or individually. They were thinking of a customer’s cycle, assessing the communities’ needs, coming up with an innovative product or service, forming the unique selling proposition (USP), considering their target groups, forming project teams, calculating approximate expenses to start up their ideas, preparing marketing and communication plans, making digital presentations and “elevator pitches” to present their entrepreneurial and business ideas. All the ideas were successfully presented and defended during the Hackathon, where the expert jury gave the participants the constructive feedback and chosen 3 best ideas, which won special prizes.

In this way, the whole project was a big simulation of a real live entrepreneurship/business world.

All the developed entrepreneurial and business ideas can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1idxMCB2Q01-RNi22ckz6yk4aBa8PPcz4?usp=sharing

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

I was the full time Trainer.

I worked on this training for 10 days as a full time trainer.