Circular economy youth leaders

Background During project planning, partners researched recent studies showing increased resource utilization due to global population growth and improved living standards. Europe excelled in recycling and manufacturing but lacked in service innovation. To address this, a 'Circular Economy Business Model' was proposed, promoting greener methodologies. In the development stage, the EU's circular economy was in early phases, with only 10% of materials being recovered and reused. The model aimed to move away from the linear take-make-dispose approach, which strained natural resources. Sustainable circular economy methodologies were needed. The core idea was to save resources through reuse and recycling and involve citizens actively. Despite global interest, there were few ground-up initiatives. The CI-You project aimed to educate young people about the circular economy to foster a resource-efficient, inclusive, and circular economy. Objectives The "CI-You" Project aimed to foster circular entrepreneurship in young people and educators through training in CE. It sought to bridge the gap in youth self-employment opportunities and promote quality CE jobs. By raising awareness about the circular economy's significance, the project aimed to equip young individuals with entrepreneurial skills and green job prospects. The target audience comprised young people 18-30 interested in green/circular companies. Recognizing global ecological changes, project emphasized youth's role in contributing to a green and CE. Acquiring essential skills would improve participants' employability and environmental awareness. Social entrepreneurship was addressed, with participants from European countries trained in circular economy entrepreneurship to address local issues. Key objectives included making the circular economy appealing to young people, creating a clear business strategy for green entrepreneurs, developing flexible learning resources for circular economy employability, and promoting circular economy principles to stakeholders. The project aimed to expand circular economy businesses, support integrated policies, tackle youth unemployment, and foster sustainable economic growth. Implementation The project employed a multi-faceted approach, encompassing management, coordination, intellectual outputs, communication, and evaluation. Partners established coordination guidelines, expert selection, and regular meetings. Communication channels included emails, calls, and web conferencing. Outputs included work groups, project coordination, internal evaluation, a project logo, website, handouts, quality plan, and dissemination strategy. The main intellectual outputs focused on the 'Circular Economy Business Model,' including a state-of-the-art analysis, the model itself, a training curriculum, a trainers' manual, and an e-learning platform. Training events in Serbia and Brussels supported learning and teaching activities. The project followed the European Commission's Methodology for Project Management (PM2) for successful implementation. Achievements The project had significant success in promoting CE entrepreneurship among young people across the EU. It resulted in improved competencies and skills, enhancing self-employment and employability opportunities. Training actions supported young entrepreneurs and CE-related NGOs. Public awareness about benefits of CE was raised, improving EU's environmental impact and competitiveness Tangible outcomes included a new CE Business Model, an interactive learning platform, and a digital toolbox covering CE topics. Project saw active participation from partner organisations and engaged young individuals in various actions. Intangible results included enhanced consulting skills for youth, empowerment through successful examples, and support for CE startups. Project encouraged innovative thinking and promoted environmentally friendly practices Effective project management and dissemination strategies ensured successful implementation, sustainability, and cooperation among partners. Interactive learning experience facilitated knowledge sharing and empowered participants to promote CE entrepreneurship. Overall, project achieved its goal of fostering CE entrepreneurship among youth, contributing to circular practices' growth and development