Review on “Sustainopreneurship – Think Global, Act Local” Training Course
Youth in Action, Training Course
03-11.11.2013 I Kratovo, Macedonia
The training course “Sustainopreneurship – Think Global, Act Local” aimed to support the fight against youth unemployment on the one hand, and on the other hand, solving various social problems in order to achieve more inclusive and sustainable growth in local society.
The aim of the course was mainly to educate and prepare young people who are considering getting involved in an entrepreneurial career, to address the issues related to the three pillars that represent sustainable development – economic prosperity, environmental protection and social justice.
The training course gathered 21 participants from Italy, Romania, Germany, Slovakia, Macedonia, Turkey, Spain and Croatia, mainly youth workers, staff from youth centers, information centers as well as youth representatives from business incubators to exchange their experiences, gain new knowledge and skills in the fields of sustainable development, entrepreneurship education and empowerment of youth, to further develop strategies in fostering creative, independent and non-traditional ways of thinking and acting in their local environments. The course encouraged participants to address these issues in their local communities in an innovative and creative way.
The working day of the training was divided at two sections. During the workshops, were used non-formal methods of learning, adapted to the needs of the participants, related to gaining direct experience, reflecting on the gained experiences, as well as the possibility for direct application of the learned methods and techniques. The topics of the workshops were group dynamics and team building, sustainable entrepreneurship, etc.
The participants in the training improved their knowledge in terms of understanding the concepts of sustainable development, the values of sustainable entrepreneurship in relation to community development and community organizing processes. Learned and practiced skills that they can use in their organization, specifically to develop ideas and build capacities for bringing them to life, to plan strategically and to communicate this to the wider public.