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Description
Young people in Slovakia have many opportunities for personal development and career growth, but they show no interest in participation and public affairs. Some have an idea for a project but are afraid to implement it or have no experience how to do it. The project will help young people develop entrepreneurship, which can reduce the percentage of young people leaving the region and increase their employment, which indirectly develops not only the city but also the region.
During workshops, they will also have the opportunity to meet local municipal councillors, entrepreneurs, representatives of educational institutions and other policymakers to help them. The Social Impact Academy is a concept of continuous education for young people. The main objective is to involve them in participation, to allow them to realize their ideas and to capture their strengths. The themes appeal to their participation in public affairs and participation in active civil society. In addition to the workshops aimed at developing the soft skills and hard skills of the participants, accompanying events will be held, which will be available not only for project participants but also for the public. The plus of the project is that it is implemented by young people for young people, which can ensure its attractiveness. The target group are young people, secondary school and university students.
The partner organization, Språk og kulturforening from Norway, is a great example of a project that has a social impact and storm stereotypes not only in youth work but also in community service and will be an inspiration for Slovak organizations. The role of the partner is on two levels. He will act as a consultant for project activities. And it will also bring new perspectives and practices as a speaker at TEDx. During his personal visit to Banská Bystrica, he will organize a workshop on how they work with young people in Norway and what can help Slovak youth to participate more.
Summary of project results
The intention of the project was that the project itself have the so-called social impact. The target group was young people, high school and university students.
The project was built in such a way that it will be mainly for people from Banská Bystrica, but "thanks" to the pandemic situation and the move to the online space, the impact of the project has spread to the whole Slovakia. The participants completed two modules, namely the Young Leader Course and the Incubator, which fit together and complete each other. The young leader''s course focused on the development of soft skills (creation of personal vision, presentation skills, time management, teamwork) and the Incubator on the development of hard skills. Participants from the Young Leader Course continued to the Incubator, where they could invite friends and classmates to help them with the project. Within the Incubator, they gained knowledge of project management, marketing and business fundamentals. They wrote a project application and embarked on the implementation of a mini-project. Experienced lecturers helped them with the implementation of these mini-projects.
The aim of the project Social Impact Academy was that by the end of 2020, 100 young people will have the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills and to implement their project with financial support and the help of mentors. 163 young people were involved and 26 projects were implemented. In addition to the educational events, accompanying events such as TEDxUMB and Startup weekend were held, which were intended not only for project participants but also for the public. The projekćt partner Språk og kulturforening from Norway presented himself at the TEDx event and organized an online workshop for representatives of organizations working with young people.
Summary of bilateral results
The cooperation with the Norwegian partner was a great benefit for both domestic organizations, which gained a lot. The Norwegian partner brought a new language culture to the project, which not only helped the project promoters but also the participants to improve their language skills in English. The activities carried out by the project were of great benefit in sharing examples of good practice from a partner organization from abroad. Workshops that could be held in the online space had added value for the participants. The cooperation was very beneficial and has the potential for other projects that individual organizations are planning. The partner from the donor country brought a positive wind to the project and with its interesting story inspired not only the participants.