EU4Youth: social entrepreneurship training for young people from Moldova and Ukraine

Forty-four young people from the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine have taken part in an intensive training course on essential knowledge and practical skills for social entrepreneurship, organised by EU4Youth.

The training – held simultaneously in Chisinau and Kyiv, with daily virtual interactions and discussions between the participants of the two countries – was aimed at both acting and potential young social entrepreneurs. It was organised by the ‘EU4Youth – Unlocking the potential of young social entrepreneurs in Moldova and Ukraine’ (EUnlocking) project.

Topics included business planning, business management, sales and marketing, human resources, financial stability and fundraising.

Among the participants were 22 young social entrepreneurs shortlisted in the project’s sub-grant competition. The training equipped them with knowledge and skills to help them prepare their full proposals.

Cristina Tocari from Moldova said the training met all her expectations: “I needed a self-confidence boost to continue working in social entrepreneurship. I needed more confidence and knowledge about the technical and theoretical aspects of social entrepreneurship.” Irina Kadkalenko from Ukraine, who runs the Ira Beauty social enterprise, added: “We knew that social entrepreneurship in Moldova has been gaining momentum for a long time, but we have not thought before that we have so many points in common and can start cooperation right now!”

The EUnlocking project helps to foster the social entrepreneurial potential of young people in Moldova and Ukraine by establishing a favourable ecosystem for social enterprises, as well as by inspiring and supporting more young social entrepreneurs to develop and sustain their innovative solutions to the promotion of social inclusion and environmental sustainability across both countries.

Find out more:

Project EUnlocking

The Young Social Entrepreneur Platform