Youth work empowering women entrepreneurship

Whilst gender gaps between men and women in employment rates and salaries are narrowing, differences are still evident in entrepreneurial careers. Indeed, even though there are more women than men in Europe, female entrepreneurs represent only a third of the self-employed in the EU. Women constitute 52% of the total European population but only 34.4% of the EU self-employed and 30% of start-up entrepreneurs (source: Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, EU commission). Nevertheless, the European Commission efforts to promotes and supports female entrepreneurship by several initiatives such as the Small Business Act and the Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan, women still represent a large pool of under-exploited entrepreneurial potential in Europe. Boosting female entrepreneurship is important to the EU’s objective for both boosting gender equality and economic growth by creating new opportunities. Indeed, female entrepreneurship could create a leverage effect; role-models could incite other women to become self-employed and female-led business may perform better, or at least differently. Women may apply different solutions to business issues and are often more concerned by societal effects.

The main aim of this training course

– To discuss the linkages between entrepreneurship core competencies and gender.
– To identify gender issues affecting women in business.
– To understand the potential barriers and other main obstacles to women entrepreneurship.
– To explore different part of a business plan and so help youth workers to acquire important skills and knowledge on how to create and grow a successful business.
– To give youth workers information about EU support tools and EU programmes opportunities for fostering women entrepreneurship.
– To encourage the creation of empowerment centres, support networks and peer communities, which support the growth and development of women-owned companies.

Expected impact is on participants as well as partner organizations in terms of gaining new good practices, enriched toolbox and methods related to women entrepreneurship. The NGOs will increase their capacity to promote women entrepreneurship- A set of materials, methods and tools for improving youth workers skills and capacity to foster women entrepreneurship. Thus the quality of youth activities related to the topics will be increased.

Profile of participants

Youth workers and leaders (18 +) keen on the topic of entrepreneurship and since the topic is women entrepreneurship we do not limit male participants to participate, which means we will also focus on the topic in general and we will have some workshops on women entrepreneurship as good practices
– Demonstration of social sensibilities (socially active youth workers/volunteers with a role in local communities and interested in the topic).
– Highly involved in activities related to entrepreneurship and willing to promote it among young people in their local community.
– Youth leaders/workers who wish to build capacity within their NGO and gain new skills as well as aiming to activate themselves to encourage other people from their community to become responsible for positive changes and be a part of the transformation, and who wish to develop international partnership with the other participants.
– Experienced or interested in working with Erasmus+ programme.