Non Formal Environmental Education is an Erasmus Plus Training with an AGREEMENT NUMBER – [2014-3-CY02-KA105-000332]. In this training and all the other trainings that will follow we want to emphasize to Interpreneurship and in Non Formal Techniques for Environmental Education and Environmental Business.
Our major motivation is unemployment in Europe. As we can see, the unemployment rate in EU last April, reached 12.2% rising by 0.1% on a monthly basis. The number of unemployed EU citizens has increased to 19.4 million individuals, according to data published by Eurostat, so this year the unemployed people in were 1.64 million more than the previous one. Unfortunately, this number includes 3.6 million people under 25 years old, which means that youth unemployment in EU rose to 24.4%. A characteristic example is Greece, where the unemployment rate was 27%, while the unemployment rate to the young people jumped to 62.5%. In more details, Greece and Spain continue to be the countries most affected, while Athens holds the record with overall unemployment rate of 27% in February and Madrid had a record of 26.8 % in April. Youth unemployment stands at 62.5% in Greece and 56.4% in Spain. In Portugal, which is also affected by the economic crisis, unemployment similarly rose to 17.8%.
Reading all these to the news the only thing that anyone can think is can we do something for the unemployed people? Can we make them to have a job or encourage them to work in this direction? Shall we try to become more sensitive with the environment by reducing the unemployed rate in Europe at the same time?
Entrepreneurship drives economic growth and innovation while at the same time contributes in the expanding opportunities and unleashing the initiative of citizens. Entrepreneurs are crucial to building prosperous societies that deliver opportunity to all. In emerging economies around the world, interest in entrepreneurship is currently higher than ever amid burgeoning youth populations and a desire to move up value chains.
Unfortunately, in many developing economies, obstacles in the business environment close off entrepreneurial opportunities to huge swathes of the population. For example, a rural Kenyan entrepreneur must incur the cost of travel to Nairobi to register a business. In Lebanon, 65 percent of small and medium-sized enterprises must pay a bribe to conduct government procedures. Tunisian street vendors, most of whom cannot attain legal status, “live in constant fear of being evicted or harassed by local officials.” Even bankruptcy can be considered a crime in some places. These barriers add to the usual challenges that entrepreneurs face with regard to capacity, financing, and market access.
In our training we will try to create the environment for entrepreneurial success by highlighting the crucial environmental dimension of entrepreneurship ecosystems. Improving the conditions for entrepreneurship and leveling the playing field goes beyond the effort to help promising entrepreneurs. It expands the pool of potential entrepreneurs, builds incentives for entrepreneurship, eases the costs of doing business, and generates healthy competition. Policy and regulatory reforms should be integrated with comprehensive services to educate, finance, advise, and encourage entrepreneurs.
Can we solve or try to solve our environmental problems with "green" development? With "green" entrepreneurship? Or at least can we try to go to that direction? Can we promote creativity to cope the environmental issues we are facing through entrepreneurship? From water pollution to global warming, environmental aspects affect every person, animal, community, and nation on the planet. With environmentalism efforts on the upswing, the working world is making changes as well. Companies are implementing recycling and community effort programs to clean up. Employers are offering reimbursements for purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles or finding other means of commuting. Recyclable materials are commonly used in the workplace. With all of these changes, finding eco-friendly employment has never been easier.
If your expertise isn’t science-related, it doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. Education, communication, business and most other lines of work all have jobs evolving from society’s drive to become more eco-friendly. Science teachers and professors should school the public at an early age about environmental well-being. Public health officials should keep an eye out for health and environmental safety. Eco-friendly interior designers and architects create buildings and spaces that save energy without losing style. Housekeepers and dry-cleaners are ditching harsh chemicals and processes in favor of more energy- and air-friendly means of cleaning. So, even if your interests and work history do not involve years of agricultural studies or water conservation, you can still find a job that lets you go "green".
Our goal is from one hand to make people and especially the young generations more sensitive and active in environmental problems, and on the other hand enhance their creativity, improve their skills and promote entrepreneurship that could potentially help them either work in a "green" company or establish their own eco-friendly business.