Professional Development for Youth: Opportunities, Growth, and Inclusion (PRODIGY)

Aims & objectives

Enhance youth workers capacities to understand and
analyze the needs of youngsters with fewer opportunities.
Develop youth workers mentoring skills and draw out the
entrepreneurial potential of young people with fewer
opportunities
Encourage youth workers to support young people to get
engaged in entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial
education
Facilitate networking and further co-operation between
participants and their organizations for issues concerning
cooperation between youth, youth workers and
communities across EU member and neighboring countries.

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

The training brought together 26 youth workers and youth leaders from multiple countries, including Spain, Greece, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Armenia, Bulgaria, Jordan, Italy, and Bosnia and Herzegovina
. By bringing different nationalities together, we ensured an exchange of best practices and experiences from a wide range of backgrounds. This truly international environment was vital for mutual learning and networking opportunities.

Training methods used & main activities

We followed non-formal learning principles throughout, placing strong emphasis on experiential education. Among the methods employed were:

Interactive Workshops and Role-Plays: Participants engaged in simulations to experience real-world entrepreneurial challenges and practice problem-solving in a safe setting.
Small-Group Discussions: We formed smaller teams for in-depth reflection, encouraging peer-to-peer learning.
Project-Based Tasks: Attendees worked on collaborative mini-projects focused on inclusive and social entrepreneurship concepts.
Mentoring Exercises: We introduced structured mentoring sessions to highlight the importance of guided support for young entrepreneurs .

Outcomes of the activity

By the conclusion of the training, participants reported greater confidence in guiding young people through entrepreneurial thinking and skill development. In addition, we observed stronger inter-organizational connections, with participants planning future collaborations across borders. We regard this as a clear sign of success, as it reflects not only individual growth but also the potential for sustained impact at community level. Documentation and materials related to the training can be found through the project’s online channels and organizational websites.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C_5Dy8VsWPj/?locale=ru&hl=am-et&img_index=1
https://www.facebook.com/YOUthConnectITSK/posts/call-for-italiansprodigy-training-course-on-encouraging-young-people-to-engage-i/782839834033050/

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

I was trainer in this project together with my colleague, Ms. Emma Grigoryan. I was responsible for co-designing the training curriculum, specifically focusing on environmental and social dimensions of entrepreneurship. I also facilitated multiple sessions on non-formal education techniques and led reflection groups to ensure continuous learning throughout the course. From organizing daily debriefings with the trainers’ team to guiding participants in their project-based tasks, my role was hands-on, both in content delivery and participant support.

I worked on this training for 5 days as a full time trainer.

Testimonial of the reference person

Ilias was an outstanding trainer in our international youth training. He designed and led engaging sessions, supported participants, and helped create a great learning environment. His dedication and teamwork played a big role in the success of the program. We highly recommend him for future projects!