Creativity skills for young social entrepreneurs for development in the VUCA world
▶Summary
The "CREATIVENTER" project has addressed the urgent needs of young social entrepreneurs facing challenges in the VUCA world, exacerbated by COVID-19. It aimed to harness the untapped potential of ...
▶Objectives
The project aimed to bolster young social entrepreneurs with creativity and cooperation skills, essential for navigating VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) and COVID-19 challenges. The project focused on three main objectives: 1. Skill Development for Resilience and Success: Through an innovative online course, it sought to enhance resilience and success in building a social business ecosystem. 2. Educational Resource Creation: A sketchnoting style manual was created to provide theoretical and practical insights into applying creativity in social entrepreneurship. 3. Technology-Driven Support: A digital assistant chatbot, "Creative Entrepreneur," was developed to offer advice on creative problem-solving and to improve empathy, social, and emotional intelligence. Overall, the project sought to empower young social entrepreneurs with the necessary skills, knowledge, and support to create successful, sustainable, and inclusive social businesses, positioning them at the forefront of the new economic model, contributing to the green economy, and identifying new opportunities for development in the face of modern crises.
▶Activities
We developed and implemented 3 innovative intellectual outputs: 1. E-learning course for young social entrepreneurs “CREATIVENTER: creativity skills for young social entrepreneurs for development in the VUCA world" (O1). The course production was based on the ADDIE conceptual framework (Nada Aldoobie,2015): Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation). The E-Course consists of testing and assessment materials and 6 modules ( 66 hours of e-learning: 34 hours of group study with a teacher). Each of the 5 modules consists of lecture text with references, a Webinar/Video, and a module quiz. Module 6 is an independent work – exchange of experience: experienced social entrepreneurs share life hacks and young entrepreneurs share fresh ideas (application of facilitative techniques as one of the tools of stimulating cooperation, application of co-creation to generate new ideas and make mutually beneficial decisions. Demonstration of the process when experienced social entrepreneurs share their experience and young people generate ideas). All course materials were posted on an e-platform https://creativenter.com/my/ and project website https://fmarkipolskiej.pl/projekt-creativenter . A pilot course in each partner’s country took place. The course was attended by 15 participants on basic level and 15 on advanced level in each country (30 learners in total in every country: Poland, Ukraine, Portugal, Italy. Total: 120 learners). The course aimed to help social entrepreneurs create a successful, sustainable and inclusive social business, spearhead a new economic model, develop the green economy and see new opportunities for growth in contemporary crises (VUCA, COVID). 2. Manual “CREATIVENTER: creativity skills for young social entrepreneurs for development in the VUCA world" (O2) developed in pdf book format. Includs overview of best social entrepreneurships’ cases in project partners countries, focused on green technologies, inclusion, strengthening of the participation of young people in society to promote these values among young entrepreneurs. This manual provides tools and techniques to Young entrepreneurs, to thrive in challenging environment offering a range of creative facilitation techniques that foster creativity, enhance communication and improve team effectiveness. The techniques outlined in this manual range from visual facilitation methods like sketchnoting and doodling, to more structured approaches like creating flowcharts and mind maps. These techniques are not only useful for generating and organising ideas but also for enhancing, understanding and communication within a team. Manual can be used in teaching the O1 course or be an independent guide for entrepreneurs in how to develop creative approach to the development of social business. The Manual production was based on the ADDIE conceptual framework (Nada Aldoobie,2015): Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation). The Manual was posted on an e-platform https://creativenter.com/my/ and project website https://fmarkipolskiej.pl/projekt-creativenter . 3. A digital assistant chat bot "Creative Entrepreneur" (О3) The Digital assistant in social media https://m.me/100380882687233 provides young social entrepreneurs a unique opportunity to get advice on development of creative skills and problem solving abilities in fast developing world. It collects all existing creative methods: classical brainstorming (Osborne), morphological analysis (Zwicky), synectics (Gordon), which are used in educational process for development of creativity. The Chatbot (O3) and The E-course (O1) can be used simultaneously or independently of each other. The Chatbot helps to identify “blind spots” in skills needed for successful social entrepreneurship and use algorithm that help to optimize process of finding method that can be most effective for task implementation. To better evaluate impact of CREATIVENTER project, satisfaction of target groups and stakeholders, we organised 5 multiplier events: 1) 4 Infodays, one event in every project country (Italy, Portugal,Poland, Ukraine) to present the results, particularly share best innovative educational practices. The CREATIVENTER Infodays showcased the outcomes of the "CREATIVENTER" project, specifically targeting young social entrepreneurs and other stakeholders highlighting the project's achievements, including the innovative e-learning course, a sketchnoting style manual, and the "Creative Entrepreneur" chatbot, all developed to enhance creativity skills for sustainable development in a VUCA world. The event was divided into two main segments: A) Project Showcase and Results Presentation (2 hours): - Introduction to the CREATIVENTER project, covering its motivations, goals, and the consortium partners' roles (25 minutes). - Detailed presentation of the O1 e-learning course for fostering creativity in young social entrepreneurs (25 minutes). - Overview of the O2 manual in sketchnoting style for developing creativity skills (25 minutes). - Demonstration of the O3 "Creative Entrepreneur" chatbot designed to train creativity skills (25 minutes). - Discussion on project outcomes and announcement of best practices competition winners (20 minutes). B) Interactive Sessions on Sustainable Social Initiatives (3 hours): - Panel discussion titled "Social entrepreneurship: the future in creativity" (90 minutes). - Workshops on leveraging societal demands for the benefit of social businesses, focusing on the green economy, innovation, and inclusion (50 minutes). - Event conclusion and summary (10 minutes). The number of participants attending each event reached the project's target. 2) The 1-day International Creative Forum "Pioneers of a green & inclusive society" in Poland, organized by FMP as the project leader, marked the culmination of the CREATIVENTER project. This forum, crafted collaboratively by all partners, showcased the project's achievements and served as a platform for sharing innovative ideas, best practices, and experiences in developing young social entrepreneurs' creativity skills. These skills are crucial for fostering successful, sustainable, and inclusive social businesses that could lead in the new economic model, particularly within the green economy, and navigate modern crises effectively. Forum Highlights: - Presentation of CREATIVENTER Results: The forum covered the project's comprehensive outcomes, including the e-learning course (O1), the manual (O2), and the digital assistant chatbot (O3), emphasizing creative approaches in social entrepreneurship. - Interactive Sessions: Attendees engaged with the content through interactive presentations, familiarizing themselves with the course, manual, and chatbot functionalities. - Coaching and Masterclasses: A coaching game titled "How to materialise ideas of social enterprise in communities?" alongside a series of master classes was conducted to provide practical insights into implementing social entrepreneurship concepts. - Panel Discussions: Topics included the role of social entrepreneurship as a community change driver, emerging trends, best practices in innovative social entrepreneurship, essential skills for creativity and innovation, educational services development, and the future of youth work in this sector. Objective: The forum sought to highlight the importance of creativity in social entrepreneurship, discuss challenges and opportunities within the EU context, and explore ways to enhance educational innovations for youth work. It aimed to foster a comprehensive understanding of social entrepreneurship's potential as a driver of societal change, emphasizing the development of creative, innovative, and cooperative skills among the youth. The number of participants attending the event reached the project's target.
▶Impact
The project produced the following concrete outputs and results: 1. E-learning Course "CREATIVENTER: creativity skills for young social entrepreneurs for development in the VUCA world" (O1): - Developed competencies in creativity, innovation, and risk-taking among 120 young social entrepreneurs, enhancing their ability to respond creatively to crises and challenges in a VUCA and COVID-19 context. - Enabled participants to build a resilient and successful social business ecosystem, fostering positive social impact. - Made accessible to learners worldwide, overcoming location, income, and socio-economic or psychological barriers. - Tested and refined to serve as an innovative educational product for young social entrepreneurs globally, encouraging them to be active in crisis response and economic model innovation. - Partner organizations improved their capacity to provide quality educational products and staff skills through international collaboration. 2. Manual "CREATIVENTER: creativity skills for young social entrepreneurs for development in the VUCA world" (O2): - Enhanced creative skills of at least 400 young and experienced entrepreneurs, guiding the materialization of social enterprise ideas within communities. - Included desk analysis of best cases showcasing the application of key competencies in social entrepreneurship across four countries. - Served as a resource for educational institutions worldwide to develop new personal, social, and citizenship competences among youth and adults. - Partner organizations enhanced their programming for developing creative skills among young social entrepreneurs and youth, benefiting from international collaboration. 3. Chatbot "Creative Entrepreneur" (O3): - Encouraged at least 400 young social entrepreneurs to adopt creative approaches in their social business endeavors, supporting their creative potential at various levels. - Improved empathy skills, social, and emotional intelligence of its users. - Offered as an innovative tool for educational institutions, platforms, and youth workers globally in youth work. - Partner organizations boosted their capacity to deliver quality educational products to young people, fostering staff skill development through international exchange. Indicators of Project Success: - The number of course learners and the social entrepreneurship ideas they described. - Attendance at project-related events. - The number of social entrepreneurs who utilized the chatbot and provided positive feedback. These outputs collectively aimed to empower young social entrepreneurs with the necessary skills and resources to navigate and lead in a changing world, emphasizing creativity, innovation, and resilience.