The project ‘Eco-Entrepreneurship & Circular Economy: On the Path to Sustainable Change’ is set in line with the priorities of the Erasmus + Programme. The project is based on the need to increase the capacities of 6 youth organizations representing the Programme (North Macedonia, Serbia and Cyprus) and Partner countries of the Western Balkan (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Montenegro) to work with the concepts of eco-entrepreneurship and circular economy, to be able to develop competencies of young people, young people with fewer opportunities in these areas, and to transfer the principles of circular economy in their practices to become more green, sustainable youth organizations ready to face ecological and sustainable challenges of 21st century.

OBJECTIVES:

• To raise the capacity of 6 youth organizations working with young people, including young people with fewer opportunities, outside of formal learning in the area of eco-entrepreneurship and circular economy. The consortium of the project brings together youth organizations active in the field of non- formal education, delivering activities based on methods, tools of non-formal learning actively supporting the active participation of the target groups, self-centred and peer-to-peer learning.

• The project consortium brings together youth organizations from Programme and Partner countries of the Western Balkans. Our partners from the Partner countries focus on empowering youth and support their active participation in their communities and societies. This project will provide our partners from Programme countries an opportunity to increase their capacities in the areas of eco-entrepreneurship and circular economy, the raise capacities of their staff, youth workers and of their young people, young people with fewer opportunities. This target group will have an opportunity to directly participate in international mobility events (Work Package 3), local workshops (Work Package 4). They will develop their competencies, understanding of the concepts of eco-entrepreneurship and circular economy, get inspire by successful stories of their peers, and they will develop their entrepreneurial mind-set, and get motivated to take an active role in addressing the environmental issues in their communities and societies.

• The project supports the development of youth work in Partner countries in the Western Balkan. It improves its quality because it will provide the staff, youth workers an opportunity to raise their competencies needed to address the topics of eco-entrepreneurship and circular economy in a quality way, to implement learning events raising understanding of young people on the concepts, and developing their competencies and challenging their attitudes towards ecology, sustainability, eco- entrepreneurship, and circular economy.

• The project will bring two key deliverables in the form of an ONLINE COURSE on UDEMY and BOARD GAME that will be freely accessible. These key deliverables will be tailored to the needs of youth organizations, youth workers, leaders in Programme and Partner countries and will be developed to support the development of youth work in all participating countries.

• The project is strongly contributing to the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy including the 11 European Youth goals.