Have you ever wondered what is the common element between entrepreneurship and Erasmus+ projects?
In February 2018, our colleague Mădălina participated as a representative of GEYC association at the international seminar “Cross-over - Quality in KA2 projects” in Lithuania. The seminar aimed to improve the understanding of strategic partnerships projects among NGOs and to provide a space for further development of project ideas with potential partners and feedback from National Agencies’ representatives.
Considering that GEYC is partner in several KA2
projects, we wanted to discover good practices and strategies for developing
qualitative initiatives in our organization, so I was even more motivated to
learn how we can create a real impact in entrepreneurial environment through
our project. And the answer we discovered is seeking
the quality.
***
First of all, what this seminar proved to me once again, it is that the quality
of a project is given by several features and one of those is the application
itself. Clear ideas, well documented as a result of a need analysis, as well as
realistic and measurable objectives - these are just some of the essential
elements of a good project. Also, very important is the quality of the partnership
between the entities involved in the project, in terms of experience,
communication, responsibilities, goal and motivation of each party.
Then, the quality of the above mentioned elements are
certainly reflected in the quality of the project dissemination and results. An
example of good practice that was shared with us during the seminar in
Lithuania is the Futurepreneurs KA2 project,
developed by the business accelerator Sunrise
Valley Science and Technology Park (established in Vilnius, Lithuania); this
project aimed to provide tools and useful information for young people who want
to become entrepreneurs. Talking about the key elements for a qualitative
project, Evelina Kutkaitytė, the Futurepreneur’s Project Coordinator, strengthen
the idea that both dissemination and intellectual outputs are essential for the
project’s success as “it helps to attract and involve
the right people”, but also because “the quality is a deciding factor if the
outputs will be used by your target group and whether they will be sustainable”.
And this approach is reflected in one of their intellectual outputs – the
Futurepreneurs Workbook, which is an instrument with practical advice and
exercises for starting a business idea, from sketch to pitching and implementation.
And
last but not least, one major importance in developing qualitative projects, is
the capacity to have a real impact in the society even after the implementation
phase. From my perspective, this means that a qualitative KA2 project should
have the capacity to be adaptable for a changing environment at least to some
extent (for example, economic changes) in order to be continued and to have
effects and results in a community on long term. And this is one of the biggest
challenges I see.
***
My participation in this seminar was of real use
because GEYC is partner in the KA2 project called “#PlayEurope - EduGames for
Active Citizenship”, a project which aims to enhance the interest and
knowledge of young people to become better citizens by creating social businesses.
Thus, I recommend to those who want to implement successful projects to participate
in such events so that, with the advice and knowledge shared by others, we can
create long-lasting projects with a real impact for our communities.
And if we are talking about how to create real
impact in entrepreneurship, what fits better than Muhammad
Yunus’ words:
“By simply capitalizing on core
strengths and knowledge, companies and entrepreneurs can engage in an emerging
business model that will enable them to create - and demonstrate - real,
sustainable social impact in society.”
Learn more
In 2016, GEYC developed EQYP - European quality in youth projects standard of quality. This was developed in the frame of PRISMA European Network and it provides a very interesting approach on how quality can be understood in European projects in the youth field.
Learn more
In 2016, GEYC developed EQYP - European quality in youth projects standard of quality. This was developed in the frame of PRISMA European Network and it provides a very interesting approach on how quality can be understood in European projects in the youth field.