The partner consortium of the Erasmus+ project Capacity Building in Youth Work for Social Entrepreneurship of Youngsters with Disabilities (SocEntYwD) held its official kick-off meeting on 8–9 December 2025. Organised online via Zoom, the two-day meeting brought together representatives of Savez gluhih i nagluhih Grada Zagreba (Croatia), Building the Balkans (Kosovo), Centar za neformalno obrazovanje i celoživotno učenje – CNELL (Serbia), and Udruženje Okret/Spin (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The meeting served as the formal start of a joint effort to empower youth workers and promote social entrepreneurship among young people with disabilities.
Establishing a strong foundation for project implementation
The first day focused on creating a shared understanding of the project’s vision, objectives, and structure. The project coordinator opened the meeting with a comprehensive introduction, after which all partners presented their organisational roles and expected contributions. A detailed overview of the project’s work packages, monitoring plan, timeline, and management structure ensured that each partner gained clarity on responsibilities, deadlines, and interdependencies between activities.
Partners jointly reviewed the monitoring plan – consisting of a Gantt chart, activity plan, and budget – and agreed on adhering to the proposed timeline, with minor adjustments made to improve efficiency. The day continued with planning of the communication framework and agreement that email would serve as the primary communication channel, supported by Zoom meetings when needed. The consortium also initiated the development of an internal “Partnership Action Plan for Project Execution,” a key document outlining procedures, protocols, and shared expectations for the full project cycle.
The agenda for Day 1, including discussions on project overview, roles, objectives, work package planning, communication structures, monitoring, and the partnership action plan, followed the structure defined in the meeting agenda.
Shaping dissemination, visual identity, and Work Package 2
Day two began with a recap of the previous day’s agreements and continued with a structured discussion on project dissemination. The consortium co-created the dissemination plan, defining communication objectives, channels, mandatory visibility requirements, and the sequence of dissemination activities. The first milestone in dissemination will be the development of a unified visual identity, led by CNELL, to be finalised in early 2026. Once completed, the consortium will begin developing the project’s online Resource Hub.
Partners also agreed that Building the Balkans will lead the creation and management of the project’s TikTok strategy, supporting visibility and outreach through innovative youth-friendly methods, including six online campaigns planned throughout the project.
A significant portion of Day 2 was dedicated to Work Package 2 (Capacity Development of Partners), which includes four key activities:
- Curriculum development for youth workers, led by CNELL and BtB. A draft curriculum structure will be prepared and shared for feedback, with finalisation expected by March 2026.
- Development and piloting of an online course, led by Spin, to run in parallel with curriculum creation and supported by early sharing of content frameworks.
- Creation of TikTok videos promoting social entrepreneurship among youth with disabilities, led by SGINGZ, featuring Croatian Sign Language with subtitles in Croatian and English.
- Local training visits to Western Balkan partners, planned for August–September 2026.
These activities were thoroughly discussed in line with the Day 2 agenda, which focused on dissemination planning, WP2, curriculum development, online course planning, TikTok video production, and mobility preparation.
Clear roadmap and strong partnership
The meeting concluded with a joint review of decisions, timelines, and next steps. All partners emphasised the importance of timely implementation, continuous communication, and maintaining high-quality standards across activities. The collaborative spirit demonstrated throughout the two days positioned the consortium for a successful and impactful project lifecycle.
With strong coordination, clearly defined responsibilities, and a shared vision, the SocEntYwD partnership enters the next phase fully prepared to begin developing innovative tools, capacity-building activities, and visibility actions that will support youth workers and young people with disabilities in exploring social entrepreneurship as a meaningful pathway to empowerment and inclusion.