ArtiYOUth

ArtiYOUth is an Erasmus+ cooperation based partnership in the field of youth, which shall be implemented between 2023 and 2025. The project focuses on offering opportunities and creating results that will help boost the target groups knowledge and teach them how to become businessmen. ArtiYOUth builds on the following needs: low employability of disadvantaged youth, entrepreneurial education needs in order to tackle the low employability levels. Artisanship is a domain that can be done by the disadvantaged and it does not require high financial investment.

The main target group of this project are youngsters aged 15-29, mainly those who are living or lived in a foster care system, young Ukrainian refugees living in the partner countries since the outbreak of the war and have problems in being included in the formal education system or already graduated but could not find a job in their welcoming countries and disabled youth, who are capable of doing handmade activities (eg. intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, physical disability, hearing impairment). These groups need opportunities to learn new things, develop their skills, help with their social inclusion and help their employability. The partner institutions chose artisanship and entrepreneurship as they are recognised contributors to the aforementioned needs and aligned with their aims.

The secondary target group of the project are youth workers and education providers (such as non-formal educators, training providers, business consultants, special education

providers, social care workers, inclusion experts, etc.) who are working with above-mentioned disadvantaged groups, empowering them to offer their youngsters educational opportunities.

The objectives of this project are to enhance the employability of disadvantaged youngsters by offering them courses and workshops during which they will develop entrepreneurial and artisanship skills. Another objective is to increase the capacity of youth workers and educational providers who are working with disadvantaged young people.

Project results

Online courses for developing entrepreneurial mindset, attitudes and skills
24 video tutorials on different artisanship territories (such as wood painting, jewellery making, embroidery, etc.)
a video related to the benefits of artisanship to emotional well-being and coping with stress.

Kick-Off Meeting

The first meeting of the project was held in Cluj-Napoca, hosted by Bridge Language Study House on the 11th of January 2024. During this hybrid meeting (not everyone could be there face-to-face) the partners presented every work-package of the project, the specific activities, budget and risks, and put the basis to the 2 main results of the project: an entrepreneurship course-series and an artisanship-video series. Participants also discussed how to reach the target audience: disadvantaged youth and educators working with them and planned the next events of the project.

Training Event in Thessaloniki

Between 20-23 March 2024, Mathemagenesis hosted in Thessaloniki the first event of the Blended Training for Trainers. During this event the participants finalised the structure and created the work plan for the first project result, the Entrepreneurial Online Courses, obtained the template to be used for developing the courses. From innovative teaching strategies to mastering Moodle, the participants dedicated every moment of this training to create learning experiences that will equip disadvantaged youth with necessary skills.