Arts and Creative Entrepreneurship for Youth

Background The Ace Youth project served a crucial sector at risk, by building and sharing measures and materials to offer entrepreneurial competencies and resilience training for the young people most affected during the Covid 19 pandemic, and by addressing poor in-school careers services, the narrow curriculum and industry misrepresentation in low socio-economic communities and cuts to arts education. People from lower socio-economic backgrounds all too often are not fully represented in the creative workforce, and to this end mentoring can, and did, play its part supporting budding, young entrepreneurs, and we set out to incorporate an inter-generational approach in this initiative. It is also widely accepted that target group specific, coherent entrepreneurship education initiatives are in short supply throughout Europe, and now was the ideal time to blend entrepreneurial training with resilience training for young people in the creative sector. Entrepreneurship is proven to drive innovation, competitiveness, job creation and growth. It also allows ideas and innovative concepts to be turned into successful ventures, and furthermore unlock the personal potential of creative individuals. Youth entrepreneurship in the creative sector is vital to ensure the continued development of societies, and is at the heart of the wider creative economy. At least Until 2020, the creative sector represented growth and created jobs across the board, particularly for young adults, whilst also strengthening social cohesion. The sector drove innovation, acting as a catalyst for change and stimulating invention and progress across a diverse cultural and economic landscape and requires intervention measures such as Ace Youth. Further to being essential drivers for cultural diversity in Europe, the creative sector comprises highly innovative companies and was deemed to be one of Europe's most dynamic sectors. A 2018 study - Boosting the Competitiveness of Cultural and Creative Industries for Jobs and Growth shows that cultural and creative industries employed more than 12 million people in the EU, which is 7.5% of all persons employed in the total economy. Because Covid 19 impacted on the Ace Youth target group so heavily this kind of project serives as a skills safety net. Cultural and creative industries (CCIs) are also an important contributor to the economy with 5.3% of the total EU GVA and a further 4% of nominal EU GDP generated by these, often high-end industries. Where an economy is facing decline, CCIs can contribute to the emergence of grassroots economic activities, creating sustainable jobs and enhancing the attractiveness of European regions and cities, and EU cohesion policy has recognised the multi-faceted contribution of creativity to its strategic objectives of convergence, competitiveness and employment. The cultural and creative sectors are important in their own right in terms of their economic footprint. Cultural and creative sectors are largely composed of micro-firms or non-profit organisations often operating on the margins of financial sustainability. Large public and private cultural institutions depend on this dynamic cultural ecosystem for the provision of creative goods and services. However, and arguably more importantly, they are critical to a shared sense of European identity, culture and common values so we focused on these in the project. Objectives The Ace Youth project served a crucial sector at risk, by building and sharing measures and materials to offer entrepreneurial competencies and resilience training for the young people most affected during the Covid 19 pandemic, and by addressing poor in-school careers services, the narrow curriculum and industry misrepresentation in low socio-economic communities and cuts to arts education. We wanted to improve the support available to young people most affected by the Covid 19 pandemic, ensuring that they had access to new methods, training and support in this sector and emerge with new skills and motivation to succeed in their creative fields. The COVID-19 outbreak and the measures applied to combat it have triggered a sharp increase in the number of claims for unemployment benefits across the EU (Eurostat). This has disproportionately hit youth with unemployment (-25 years) by country as follows: TR 23.7%, BG 9.4%, IE 14.8%, ES 41.7%, IT 31.1%, LT 20.3% UK 12.5% Along with tourism, it is the cultural and creative sectors who have been the most badly affected by the Covid-19 crisis. Venue-based sectors such as performing arts, live music, festivals, cinema, etc. were hardest hit by social distancing measures. From the Ace Youth project and in the context of a creative entrepreneurship, running such a project can achieve several outcomes and benefits. Here are some of our intended achievements: Development of entrepreneurial skills: The project aimed to equip young people with the necessary entrepreneurial skills, knowledge, and mindset to successfully navigate the creative industry. Participants can gain a deeper understanding of business planning, marketing strategies, financial management, and other essential entrepreneurial competencies. Empowerment of young entrepreneurs: By addressing the identified needs, the project aims to empower young entrepreneurs to take charge of their creative ideas and transform them into sustainable businesses. This empowerment can boost confidence, enhance their decision-making abilities, and enable them to pursue their entrepreneurial aspirations. Access to resources: The project can provide young entrepreneurs with valuable information. Additionally, participants can gain access to resources such as mentorship, workspace, equipment, or specialised tools that are essential for starting or scaling their ventures. Networking and collaboration opportunities: Through networking events, workshops, and online platforms facilitated by the project, young entrepreneurs can build a supportive community, connect with like-minded individuals, and establish collaborations. This networking can lead to valuable partnerships, knowledge sharing, and exposure to new markets and opportunities. Increased visibility and recognition: The project can contribute to raising awareness about the importance of creative entrepreneurship and the impact it can have on society. By showcasing success stories and providing platforms for young entrepreneurs to promote their work, the project can help them gain visibility, recognition, and validation for their creative endeavors. International and cross-cultural exchange: Considering the Ace Youth international dimension, it can offer young entrepreneurs the chance to engage in cross-cultural experiences, explore different markets, and learn from diverse perspectives. This exposure to international contexts will broaden their horizons, foster creativity, and expand their professional networks. The abrupt drop in revenues has put their financial sustainability at risk and has resulted in lay-offs with repercussions for the value chain of their suppliers, from creative and non-creative sectors alike and the young people affected are our target, and their needs are addressed by Ace Youth resources, training and sustainable interventions. Implementation The project materials have been designed for face-to-face, blended, or online delivery, and it is intended that by targeting young people we can make a difference that will be transferred to new settings for those involved embark on their working journey, taking up employment within the community or even starting their own creative businesses. We tested out materials with local stakeholders in piloting workshops and later on in final testing, the LTTA activities, and during a Multiplier Event in Turkey, and continue to engage local organisations across the partnership. We held three Transnational Partner meetings in Italy, Lithuania and Turkey. We held a Learning Teaching and Training Activity in Vigo, Spain to test and further refine the project materials in a live workshop setting. We used innovative, flexible delivery methods to ensure that the project activities could be enjoyed by as many people as possible. We ensured the materials were easily accessible, even by smartphone or tablet for trainer or young person themselves and adjusted based on their feedback and also ensured these could be accessed in more traditional ways if required. All partners held local stakeholder meetings to get the buy-in at the community level, and to ensure the materials were fit for purpose in engaging and educating younger people and of sustainable use for community trainers and other civic organisations. Partners shared expertise on key themes within the resources and brought together stakeholder groups in new and engaging ways that will yield benefits for years to come. Achievements The Ace Youth Consortium Developed 3 comprehensive Intellectual Outputs as well as other tangible materials. Intellectual Output 1 - ACE Youth - Creative Sector Entrepreneurship Curriculum Intellectual Output 2 - ACE Youth - Induction to Pedagogy Toolkit for Creative Sector and Young Peer Mentors Intellectual Output 3 - ACE Youth - MOOC Platform The other concrete results were: Ace Youth Project Website Ace Youth Project Newsletters Ace Youth Community of Practice on Facebook other dissemination materials. All of the partners have developed further cooperation during and after the project; ranging from staff and student mobility, new project proposals and further supporting local stakeholders to get involved in Erasmus+. One of the unforeseen concrete outputs is the continued involvement of local stakeholders and their connection as a Community of Practice that remains active even after the project end date.