Today’s youth is at the stalemate. Young people across Europe are trying to find that one type of profession that will make them thrive. That profession will not just be a way for them to make a living. It will be away for them to make a difference in their lives. Young people nowadays have dreams, they have hopes and they have goals that they are trying to meet.

The economy and its impact on social entrepreneurship

Unfortunately, due to the bad economy and specific circumstances in societies, a lot of young people are forced to neglect their dreams and to focus on finding a profession that will only be able to provide them a good living, not caring about the goals they once had. They no longer care about being a productive member of society. They only care about creating a comfortable living for themselves.

And no one can indeed blame them. However, taking some time to think about the field of social entrepreneurship will realize that, if young people do not get involved in the field then, a huge gap is going to be created. And it is the kind of gap that, we cannot afford to have. Therefore, it is important to encourage young people and show them the way towards social entrepreneurship. But what is the best way to do that?

What is social entrepreneurship?

First and foremost, young people need to understand the concept behind the term social entrepreneurship. Most young people are indeed a bit confused by the notion. Social entrepreneurship is not that far away from regular entrepreneurship. The main difference is that in social entrepreneurship everything the business does has a positive impact on society.

In other words, it is a business that can make a profit however, that profit comes from working with societies to improve them as much as possible. As you can understand, it is straightaway a much more complicated process and, social entrepreneurship might seem a bit more difficult. And that could be one of the main reasons as to why a lot of young people are not encouraged enough to follow it.

Encouraging young people

A great way to encourage young people to become social entrepreneurs is to by actually showing them what kind of impact they could have. Young people who want to change the world can certainly achieve more through social entrepreneurship than any other kind of work field.

Through seminars and webinars delivered by professionals in the field of social entrepreneurship, young people will be able to understand the process of starting with an idea and creating it aiming at having a positive impact on societies.

Another great way to help young people become social entrepreneurs is by giving them the tools they need to start building their own business. For example, there are a lot of guidebooks out there who can guide people towards entrepreneurship. Building the same guidebooks but focusing on social entrepreneurship, young people will have the opportunity to learn how to step-by-step take their business idea and turn it into a social enterprise.

Work for a social enterprise

Last but not least, social enterprises across Europe need to open their doors and start accepting apprenticeships. Young people who can go through training in a social enterprise will see how important such a venture is. Apart from the fact that it is going to be a great place for them to work, they will know what it’s like to work in a business that has a real impact on society. That alone will be enough to encourage them to start thinking about their social enterprise.

Last but not least, the results of social entrepreneurship are not so visible nowadays. Unfortunately across Europe, people have not increased their efforts to provide and present the amazing result of social entrepreneurship. If that were to happen then young people will have real-life results that will show them social entrepreneurship is not a lost cause. On the contrary, it is an actual type of business that can help them thrive.

Supporting the notion of social entrepreneurship

Through the implementation of European funded projects like Up To Youth more and more actions are being taken to enhance and encourage young people to develop their skills and competencies for social entrepreneurship. In most cases, focusing on the digital part of social entrepreneurship could be a great tool for young people nowadays.

By acquiring the important skills needed young people are opening themselves up in a vast range of different social enterprises that will help promote social inclusion through the development of life skills, social skills, and work skills to support entry in the labor market.

Having an impact on society

Social entrepreneurship is not just a great way to have an impact on society. It is also a great way to ensure that discrimination and social exclusion will no longer be the massive problems they once were. Young people in social entrepreneurship will eliminate the problems and will focus on creating a much more unified labor market that will have a place for everyone. This is why social entrepreneurship is so important and this is why young people need to be encouraged to participate.

If you are looking for more information on social entrepreneurship then we recommend you take a look at the Up To Youth page to learn a thing or two about the objectives of the project and the potential outcomes. You are also strongly encouraged to search for more projects supporting social entrepreneurship.

If you are interested in becoming a social entrepreneur, these projects could provide you with the support and information you’re looking to do it the right way. Read the Up To Youth Analysis Report on “Promoting Future Digital Social Entrepreneurs” and learn about social entrepreneurship today