<< Objectives >>Creativity increases productivity, promote growth and innovation. Through creativity, we learn to learn from each other, to be tolerant, to respect each other's perspectives and to develop new approaches together. CRAVING FOR CREATIVITY | Creative thinking Learning for Youth Work (CRAVE) aims to empower youth workers by providing a comprehensive learning environment to promote creative thinking among youth especially NEEts towards innovation, employability and intercultural understanting.<< Implementation >>In CRAVE 7 activities are going to be implemented in order to meet the above objectives: 1) Project Management & Coordination, 2) Transnational Partner Meetings 3) Development of a ResearchBase 4) Development of a Toolkit 5) Development of the e-platoform. All these will lead to the CREAVING FOR CREATIVITY learning program for youth workers in order to support better youth especially NEETs, by boosting their creative thinking.<< Results >>Through the above activties CRAVE will end up in 3 main results: R1: Research base and methodological guide for creative learning approaches for youth workers. R2: Toolkit - Detailed program and non-formal training materials for youth workers. R3: Ε-Platform.People iinvovled in alla activities (organisations' staff, youth workers, young NEETs, youth in general, relevant stakeholders) will enhance their skills, contributing to the jointy develoopment of CREAVING FOR CREATIVITY.

"The prevalence of gender discrimination in all its forms has been and continues to be a major concern in European societies, although continuous and extensive efforts have largely succeeded in eradicating it. Nevertheless, restrictions on women's labor continue to be a key obstacle for Europe's sustainable economic and social development. As evidenced by the Eurostat 2018 statistics, although the employment rate for women aged 20-64 in the European Union (EU) has risen to 67%, an increase of one percentage point from the previous year, it was still 12 relative units lower than the corresponding percentage for men of the same age. Focusing more on the statistics of 2018 regarding the partner countries of this project, we realize that unemployed women in Greece reach about 51%, which means that about 1 in 2 women is unemployed, in Italy 47% (about 1 in every 2 women is unemployed), 31% in Cyprus (about 1 in 3 women is unemployed), 39% in Romania (about 1 in 3 women is unemployed) and 35% in Poland, which also means 1 in 3 women between 20-64 years old is unemployed.In addition to the restriction of women's employment due to family obligations, the conditions for improving this situation are further exacerbated when, in an age of technology explosion, women from disadvantage groups remain in technological inactivity and consequently lose their job opportunities, being unable to acquire digital skills.Under the common need to empower women and increase their presence in the labor market, the 5 organizations from the 4 aforementioned countries came together around one goal - the promotion of action and the exchange of good practices in the field of digital technology, in order to strengthen and facilitate professional (and social) integration into the labor market of women aged 20 to 60 (especially those belonging to vulnerable groups).To achieve this goal, the partnership designed four short-term joint educational events during which the target groups will be taught in 4 Work Unites in the form of workshops: (1) Digital Alphabetics - Women Update (2) Internet and Risks (3) Digital Business Skills (4) Online Marketing Strategies.In addition, the designed website of the project as a link between partner organizations, will disseminate knowledge and training to women through various methods (forums, lecture material, etc.), while through the design of an public awareness campaign the team aims to the interaction of the target-groups with the public, communicating the message and pushing those responsible for decision-making to take responsibilities into the field of project’s objectives.Having as target groups adult and community educators, ICT and digital technology experts belonging to partner groups, as well as low digitally specialized women from disadvantaged groups, our corporate partnership through the implementation of ambitious actions and our common commitment to their sustainability, proposes ""Closing the Gap"", a project that, as its name suggests, will try to ""close the gaps"", by “opening” the way for equal integration of women in the labor market."

"<< Background >>In our days, youths' integration into the labor market carries great challenges to member states, since young people aged 15-24 have been the greatest victims of the economic crisis in regard to their employment prospects. The situation is even worse for young women in that age range, with the percentage of unemployment reaching 16,2%, according to the 2017 Eurostat statistics. If we take a closer look at the statistics of 2017 regarding the partner countries of the project, we will disappointingly realize that unemployed young women in Greece reach the percentage of 48,2%, meaning that about 1 every 2 women is unemployed. The youth unemployment rate in Turkey was for 2019, 24,64%, however, the labor participation rate is 34,5% for women while the labor participation rate stands at 71.8% for men, according to July 2019 data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUİK). The unemployment rate in Macedonia decreased for a second straight quarter to a record low of 15.9 percent in the second quarter of 2021, compared to 16.7 percent in the same period of the previous year. In 2012, the unemployment rate of females for Skopje was 28.5 %. The unemployment rate of females in Skopje fell gradually from 30.5 % in 2010 to 28.5 % in 2012. In the fourth quarter of 2020, the unemployment rate of females aged between 20 and 24 was approximately 37.16 percent, which exceeded the unemployment rate (35.98 percent) for males in the same age category. Romania's unemployment rate comes to 5,2% and women's unemployment is 4,8%, while in Belgium unemployment rate comes to 6,4% and women's unemployment to 6,5%. (Eurostat, 2017). We all have to realize that young women are a fundamental asset to European economies and societies. Therefore, empowering young women, by creating the prοper conditions to actively participate in the labor market, is considered imperative for economic and social development and for the sustainability of European societies. This partnership among the 6 organizations, aims to promote actions and exchange good practices in the area of digital technology, in order to facilitate young women's professional integration into the labor market. The project will support, on the one hand, professionals working with young women to improve their digital skills and strengthen digital education initiatives aimed at them (especially young women that belong to disadvantaged groups, refugees, migrants), in order to train them in the professional use of digital technology to foster their employability and socio-educational and personal development and facilitate their professional and social integration. On the other hand, it will give young women the opportunity to improve their digital basic skills and key competencies through learning experiences and learning environments, to increase their opportunities of being smoothly integrated into the labor market.Furthermore, the diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) across all economic sectors is placing new demands on young women in search of a job because they face a new skill set. This changing skill set is, on the one hand, expanding employment opportunities and, on the other, imposing new demands on disadvantaged groups. In today’s job market, basic ICT skills are considered essential for young people trying to enter the workforce (Garrido, Sullivan & Gordon, 2010). The project, considering the role that digital technology plays in improving employment opportunities for young women, gives priority to actions and experiences towards the acquisition of digital skills and competencies to young women, regarding catching up with digital literacy and digital entrepreneurship.OMEGA is a 24month EU project of 6 οrganizations aiming to promote actions and exchange of gοοd practices in the area οf digital technοlοgy, in οrder tο facilitate yοung wοmen's prfessiοnal integratiοn intο the labοr market by develοping their digital and entrepreneurial skills and ideas.<< Objectives >>Far from representing a hindrance to the development of the hosting societies, female entrepreneurs have recurrently proven to provide an added value to socioeconomic growth by providing an additional pool of entrepreneurial motivation and potential. As highlighted by the EU “Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan”, if Europe is to makethe most of the opportunities provided by an ever developing and challenging global environment, entrepreneurship is to be made the growth engine of the European economy, which “needs a thorough, far-reaching cultural change”. The Action Plan also points out that female entrepreneurs represent a valuable component in the foregoing evolution, due to their higher rates of business creation as compared with men, yet “Notwithstanding that female entrepreneurs have higher business creation rates than the rest of the population they fail more due to a lack of information, knowledge and language skills”. Female entrepreneurs are motivated to become entrepreneurs but face a set of barriers related to access to training, business support services, language barriers, inadequate management and marketing skills.They also represent particularly vulnerable targets in that they compound these barriers with gender disadvantage. The project aims at addressing the challenges identified above by means of providing young entrepreneurs in possession of entrepreneurial motivation with the attitudes and skills needed to start-up and grow their own start-ups.The aim of the OMEGA project is an international synergy between 6 European organizations with the same need: to develop the digital skills and competencies of young women to increase their opportunities of integration into the labor market. Having as target groups youth workers, trainers, ICT and digital technology experts involved in youth education belonging to partner groups, as well as low digital skilled women and young women belonging to disadvantaged groups (i.e. women living in remote areas, refugees, migrants), we propose a project having the following objectives:- Professional development of youth workers, who will learn various good practices regarding digital skill and competence development in order to transmit them to the young women (of different backgrounds) they will work with and increase their chances of employability and their chances of entering into the labor market, to raise awareness on the value of digital skills in finding a job nowadays, as well as their social integration in the modern society nowadays.- Business skills development through becoming digitally literate and gaining knowledge on how to manage a virtual business which is invaluable in the sense that they develop digital skills and competences to young women that are considered important by employers nowadays or are considered important in starting their own businesses.- New behaviors acquisition: they will become more open to dialogue with young people (in our case with young women) and with specialists on topics of interest in digital education.- Communication and linguistic skills enhancement, fluency and courage to communicate on topics of interest of young people.- Adjustment to the modern entrepreneurial digital mindset and advantage gain by using it in the labor market.- Equipment with the necessary tools needed to enter the labor market faster.- Empowerment of those women who are part of a population affected most by the effects of unemployment.- Learn to use gaming experiences in an educational way that allows a more in-depth approach to the concept of Digital Entrepreneurship.OMEGA is bringing together 5 EU partners to join forces for a common goal: contribute to the development of the entrepreneurial mindset and related digital skills in young female entrepreneurs who are motivated to become entrepreneurs but face a set of barriers related to access to training, business support services, language barriers, inadequate management and marketing skills.<< Implementation >>OMEGA will be an endeavor to solve the aforementioned difficulties by providing young women with entrepreneurial desire the skills and competences required to increase their employability, launch and build their own start-ups. As a result, with youth workers and young people as target groups, the following activities are proposed:We propose the OMEGA project having the following activities:- Development of a practical information guide for unemployed young women entrepreneurs on how to adjust to the modern entrepreneurial digital mindset and how to use it to gain advantage in the labor market and implement innovative methodological and strategical thinking in a technological sense. The content will be based on project preparations and analysis conducted among project stakeholders within the educational and entrepreneurship sector as well as employers and their institutions. Such mindset we will explore by creating a survey and research among young women entrepreneurs in project target group, both to verify and bring in more updated knowledge of needs. Our findings gave us important competence requested described as: What is Digital Culture? Why is embracing digital culture so important for young women entrepreneurs? What are the benefits of digital technology in the field of female entrepreneurship? How can young women entrepreneurs use the digital/technological tools available? - Educational material production to empower the young women entrepreneurs follow their upcoming career path. Digital Communications experts as well as experts of the Health sector (especially against online addiction) will present to the participants safe ways of using the Internet safely. In today's digital world, maximizing the user's personal safety (digital health and wellbeing) and security risks to private information and property associated with using the internet, and the self protection from computer crime in general is considered imperative. Digital health and wellness are important for the physical and psycho-social well-being in the technological world we live today. Therefore, youth workers and trainers will develop the digital skills and competences needed to control the dangers of the web.- Educational material production helping participants gain knowledge on digital marketing techniques important for a female entrepreneur. Digitization in the modern age means that almost every contemporary field or industry is becoming more and more reliant on hardware connected to and, in some cases, controlled by software. These industries are being transformed from the inside out by innovative technology and practices, and even traditionally analogue ways of life are finding it difficult to resist disruption. With so many people online, it’s essential for businesses to be online as well. Digital marketing is important because more and more consumers are online and it is an immediate way to reach them.- Serious game production with the purpose of education, used to add an element of fun to the learning experience that holds the attention on the young women learners and causes them to engage more fully with the information presented to them. - Hands-on seminar on the basics of IT use, as well as the basics of social media. This will allow participants to catch up and reach a level of relevant knowledge so that they can assimilate the next training and the production of PRs. With the increase in the importance of technology in today’s society, digital literacy has become a valuable aid to lifelong learning and prosperity.- Business simulation games Model design to operate a simulated start-up business. The learners acting as a board of directors will have roles (Strategy, Finance, Marketing, Operations, HR & Innovation) to manage their simulated company and set the direction for their company to build up the business by making decisions related to its strategy, finance, market, operations, staffing and innovation.<< Results >>The project results are directly linked to PRs and activities carried out within the implementation period:1. Methodological Handbook (e-Book) ""Young Women Entrepreneurs and Digital Culture"" development (PR1), the Online Seminar (e-Course) Curriculum ""Digital Well-Being"" (PR2), the Online Seminar (e-Course) Curriculum ""Basic Principles of Strategic Marketing"" (PR3) and the Serious Video Game for Digital Entrepreneurship Education (PR4).2. Two Training Events: a) ""Digital Literacy for Young Female Entrepreneurs"" and b) ""Virtual Business Management"". Ιn the context of the emergence of 2022 in “European Year of Youth”, the learners, after the Trainings’ completion, will become Digital Entrepreneurship Ambassadors, a fact that enables them to participate in this vision by using, under its umbrella, this Training as a Model to carry out their own trainings to young people.3. OMEGA Awareness-Raising Campaign launch and 6 Multiplier Events (one for each partner) implementation to promote the project, its project results and outcomes among youth workers and youth learners and other stakeholders (organizations involved in youth education and entrepreneurship, youth organizations, policymakers and reformers, youth workers/trainers/educators working with young people, etc.).Intangible results:- Greater understanding achieved among partner organizations and the wider audience of NGOs and stakeholders on how the present educational offer connects with the educational needs of young women in the entrepreneurial field as well as on how to overcome the methodological shortcomings identified.- Female youth taking part in project activities will be empowered to kick-start and develop their own business, laying the grounds for a greater economic integration and social inclusion at the level of their own communities.- Consolidation of the project partnership and planning of further initiatives of follow-up to the project.- Formation of friendly relations between young women from different countries, exchange of experiences & challenges they face related to labor market access in their local environment and in their country, and mutual support.Additionally, the project foresees a set of project management, dissemination, monitoring and evaluation, and coordination results. Specifically:• Project Management Plan (P1): including the agreements, administrative work, financial and budget control, time management, roles and responsibilities allocation, templates for reporting, communication means, reporting (interim and final reports) processes, where the coordinator will be responsible with the support from all the partners.• Project Evaluation & Quality Assurance Plan (P3 & P2): It will be arranged at the beginning of the project, where the quality and risk management plan and quality assurance procedures will be described in detail, in order to guarantee the quality of the project results.• Dissemination Plan (P6 & P1): A dissemination plan will be produced to describe the dissemination activities targeting relevant to the project stakeholders and the general public. All partners will contribute to the dissemination activities according to their areas of expertise.• Sustainability & Exploitation Plan (P5): An exploitation plan will be prepared so that the partners will utilize the produced materials to the maximum, within the partnership and with other institutions/organizations, during and after the project is completed.Once the project is completed the partners will disseminate its results and transfer the developed practices & educational products in other contexts and educational fields. The PRs & Trainings will be used in partners' activities with other young people, which will be open-source and available for free download. In the long term, this will allow to further systematize the PRs & Trainings at policy and operational level to make available the developed methodologies and tools to a greater number of young entrepreneurs."