EKO is happy to announce that one more awesome training course  has been successfully completed. The project took place in the second biggest city of Lithuania, Kaunas. In this medieval environment – quite like a fairytale – 27 participants from different countries gathered to learn new methods for being better youth workers. The project was implemented from 20th till 28th of July 2022 by the host organization AKTYVISTAI and participants from 7 more countries, Greece, Malta, Croatia, Spain, Italy, Romania and Poland. Through creative ways and non-formal education methods, they got acquainted with the concept of social entrepreneurship and to develop new business ideas..

During the training, the participants were introduced to the Design Thinking process, gained knowledge about the Canva business model and learned how to apply it to business creation. Participants discussed what qualities are most important for an entrepreneur and how to manage the risks involved.

Discussions were held about leadership, self-development, time management and teamwork, which are all important objectives in entrepreneurship. Throughout the project, business ideas were developed and refined, business plans were drawn up and at the end of the project they were presented to local entrepreneurs on the basis of the “Shark Tank” principle. During the project, 2 study visits to Kaunas Science and Technology Park “Incubator” and the National Innovation and Business Centre were organized: during these visits, experts in the field of entrepreneurship shared their experience and advice for those who want to start a business.

The main objective of this project is to educate youth workers in the field of entrepreneurship, with a focus on social entrepreneurship, wherefor the participants acquire entrepreneurial knowledge to pass on to young people, as well as generate new ideas and gain knowledge to start their own social business.

The project was an unforgettable experience that enabled Greek participants to develop themselves, both individually and collectively and helped them to establish themselves as active participants in public life. Maria, Theodoros and Chara were the members of this amazing Greek team whom we really wanna thank for all their contribution and collaboration throughout the project!

Their experiences were described as follows: <<It was a great experience participating in the Training course about Social Entrepreneurship in Kaunas, Lithuania. The whole project was a surprise for us. From the moment we arrived in the venue there was a warm welcome from the organizers and the other participants, so from the very beginning we felt quite comfortable. At the same time, we were really excited with the place we stayed near the beautiful castle and our rooms. During the TC we did interesting activities to introduce us to the topic and some funny energizers to wake us up because of the intensity of the project. Also, there was a challenge for us on the last day of the project. After we built our own organization, we had to make a speech and present it to some investors (shark tank). All in all, we had a lot of fun, we met great people and we had the chance to explore the beautiful city of Kaunas.>>

As EKO, we are also very grateful for that amazing opportunity given to the Greek team and we thank our partner Karolis Stirbis, as well as Adas Perkauskas and all the rest members of the hosting organization AKTYVISTAI NGO, for all their hard work and for creating such an impactful project!

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It was a great experience participating in the Training course about Social Entrepreneurship in Kaunas, Lithuania. The whole project was a surprise for me. From the moment we arrived in the venue there was a warm welcoming from the organisers and the other participants, so from the very beginning I felt quite comfortable. At the same time, I was really excited with the place we stayed near the beautiful castle and our room.

During the TC we did interesting activities to introduce us to the topic and some funny energizers to wake us up because of the intesity of the project. Also, there was a challenge for us on the last day of the project. After we build our own organisation, we had to make a speech and present it to some investors (shark tank).

All in all, we had a lot of fun, we met great people and we had the chance to explore the beautiful city of Kaunas.