ENTREPRENEURIAL LEARNING IN YOUTH WORK

All EU Member States promote entrepreneurial competences among young people as a path to have an active role in the society.

Non – formal learning is a voluntary learning which take place in different and various environments where teaching – training learning situation is not the only  and main activity. In youth work, it usually based on learning objectives, and specific learning support and it is intentional. Non – formal learning plays an important role on youth unemployment, because it can support the development of young people’s potential thank to the acquisition of the right knowledge and skills directly on the field. According to the final report on Youth work and entrepreneurial learning, there are still several challenges, that we need to address, on how youth work contributes to entrepreneurial learning: one of them, certainly, is the confusion about the main two concepts, youth work and entrepreneurship. Youth work indicates all those activities with and for young people of a social, cultural, educational or political nature. The main objective of youth work is to provide opportunities for young people to shape their own futures; entrepreneurship is the process of designing, launching and running a new business.

The confusion can be caused by the quite  recent idea that youth work aims at entrepreneurial learning and in certain sense that is. There are many initiatives, around Europe, for young people that try to achieve entrepreneurial learning and one of them very interesting is represented by Ideenkanal project. It was founded by a youth initiative whose goal it is to promote social engagement in Liechtenstein. The initiative supports individuals in realising their project ideas in the field of social entrepreneurship and civic engagement. It is organised as a competition, involving companies and public authorities.

Just volunteers and young adults can be involved, no professional workers. It is relevant to say that Ideenkanal project has been transferred in other countries (Austria, Switzerland) by the founders themselves and it is necessary a constant collaboration with the main actors of it (companies and public authorities) in order to enforce the network. Entrepreneurial learning is a wanted outcome of the initiative and through it, the founders want to help young people to develop the right competences, in particular, to support essentially projects that contribute to the welfare (social entrepreneurship).