Description
The goal of this project is to promote entrepreneurship with social innovation features among unemployed youths in the Porto Metropolitan Area. It is intended that at least twenty young people develop and implement social innovation business projects, through the participation in a training, counselling and mentoring programme, to be developed in two co-working spaces managed by the project partners. This process will include an intensive incubation period of six months, to initiate the business projects to be developed. Young people will have access to counselling and mentoring, allowing them to develop their business ideas and start their business activities in conditions that will increase their chances for success. In addition, the project will ensure training and capacity building in matters related to social issues, and address issues such as sustainable development.
Summary of project results
In Portugal, 44.4% of the unemployed are young unemployed (15-34 years old). Porto and Entre Douro e Vouga, totaled 120,889 unemployed, of which 44,541 are individuals in this age group, which represented 37% of the total. Although in 2012 and 2013 there was a slight drop in registrations at Employment Centers, unemployed young people have showed a reverse trend, reaching 57% in the last quarter of 2013 (National Statistics Office, 2013). According to the same data, most of the young unemployed completed secondary education, and 14% even completed a bachelor's degree. These data highlight the importance of promoting innovative entrepreneurship in spaces of co-working by young unemployed people of the Metropolitan Area of Porto. 36 unemployed people have successfully participated in one of the two training courses (involving classroom sessions and practical interaction with social agents on the ground) on entrepreneurship of social innovation and got the knowledge and skills to design and launch their own business; 25 of this group are young (less than 30 year old). 35 people have used the premises and support of the project to incubate entrepreneurial projects of social innovation (of which 26 were under 30 year old). 18 of the 26 young people have completed the incubation process of their projects and 5 business projects have already been launched and are actually working. In total 50 young people have participated in all or some of the 23 different co-work activities implemented under the project. The NGO reports significant learning as a result of the large partnership created to implement the project, involving NGOs and public and private entities; all partners have learned from each other’s complementary knowledges. The experience of co-working with young people from various social backgrounds and the need to attract them to the project (the initial target regarding trained entrepreneurs was not met in spite of all efforts made) made the promoter stronger to initiate new projects under the same concept.
Summary of bilateral results